


The Hidden Self

by animenutcase



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: For Want of a Nail, POV Fuckery, Psychological Horror, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-12 05:57:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 55,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12952809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animenutcase/pseuds/animenutcase
Summary: Sigurd wakes up in Chalphy following his death at the Battle of Belhalla. It seems like a chance to do it all over again, but right this time.However, something about his body seems... different. Are those... breasts?





	1. Prologue: (Re)Birth of a Holy Knight

Sigurd woke with a start. He could still smell the smoke from the flames of Meteor. 

The screams of horror of his comrades as the Valflame burned him to ashes.

The feeling of despair as he realized that not only was his life about to end, but that there was really nothing he could do about it.

And yet, here he was. His familiar bed in his familiar room at the castle he hadn't seen in roughly three years. He was at Chalphy. He was _home_.

For a second, Sigurd wondered if it had all been a dream. He quickly dismissed that, however. It had been far too vivid, too solid, for it to have been merely a dream. The people he'd met, the places he'd been... they were too real to have been anything but.

Sigurd slowly brought his hands to his head as he lay in bed. His hair seemed slightly longer, somehow. And the bed somehow felt bigger, lonelier. The bed he'd slept in in Silesse had felt the same. Of course, it was because his beloved Deirdre was not lying next to him, and it was doubtlessly the same case here.

Yes, that was surely it.

Just as he was sitting up to take in his surroundings, the door to his room burst open and in came a messenger.

"Lady Sigrid!" The messenger who'd brought him news of Adean's abduction cried. "Prince Gandolf's army has reached Jungby!"

Sigurd blinked at him. This was how he'd learned that Adean had been taken before, but what had the messenger called him?

"What..." Sigurd cut himself off as soon as the word was out. What was wrong with his voice?

He lifted his arm to his throat, but paused when he felt it touch something on his chest. It was firm, and yet soft through the cloth of his sleeping garment. He looked down to see two lumps sticking out of his chest. Were they breasts?

Without thinking, Sigurd reached down below his waist. He felt around his legs, but couldn't find the body part he'd been looking for.

He threw off the blanket and ran toward the mirror. Standing before it was a woman with hair as blue as his. Even through the nightgown, he could tell that the woman was decently fit and mostly likely knew how to fight. But the way she moved in the mirror suggested she was moving in sync with Sigurd. It was as though she _were_ Sigurd. But that was impossible.

"Lady Sigrid...?" The messenger gave her a confused look.  
"Are..." Sigurd ignored the squeak in his voice. "Are you talking to-to me?"  
"Who else would I be talking to?" The messenger sounded exasperated. "Jungby is being seized! Lady Adean is in danger!"

Sigurd swallowed hard. Then it was true. He'd somehow come back to the day Adean had been taken from Jungby by Prince Gandolf. It was a chance to fix his mistakes and do everything right.

The question was, what was wrong with his body?

Sigurd dismissed the messenger and began to dress, keeping his eyes shut the entire time. This was was no time to panic, and if he just pretended it wasn't happening, he could pretend it wasn't happening. Flawless logic.

After he finished, he grabbed his sword and lance and made his way downstairs, where he ran into Noish.

"Noish, I-I'm going to Jungby." He declared. "Gandolf's army has laid siege to Jungby, and Adean's in danger. I need to see if there's anything I can do. You're in charge while I'm gone."

He'd said those words before. If it was like how it had been when he was a man, then Noish would surely say,

"Ma'am..." Sigurd flinched at the first word out of Noish's mouth. "You surely aren't thinking of going alone, are you!?"  
"There's no one left for us to call on." Sigurd shook his head. "Most of Grannvale's army is en route to Isaach, and Verdane's army is huge. There's bound to be some casualties, and I don't want you or the others to be among them."

Noish had always been very polite, but Sigurd's words caused him to glare at him.

"Ma'am, all of us were born into the knighthood." He exclaimed. "We're all prepared to go down fighting!"

Noish knelt down.

"It would be a disgrace to let our lady die out there alone." He continued. "We're going with you. Right, Alec?"

Yes, Sigurd had indeed heard these words before. Noish's determination, Alec's concern for the villages surrounding the castles, Oifey's gentle-but-firm pleas to accompany Sigurd into battle, Arden's reluctance (but eventual agreement) to stay and stand guard at the castle. So why did they feel so different?

The answer, of course, was the fact that they were referring to him as a woman. In fact, they were speaking to him as though he'd always been a woman.

But again, this was no time to panic. His dear friend Adean was in danger. His people (and hers) were in danger. It was time to step up and take action.

So off he went, killing bandits when he came across them. About two hours into the battle, he heard Oifey call out.

"It's Prince Cuan and Lady Ethlyn!"

_Cuan. Ethlyn._

Before he had a chance to stop himself, to remind himself that he was in the middle of a battle, he dismounted his horse, ran over to his sister and pulled her off of hers.

"L-Lady Sister, get a hold of yourself!" Ethlyn protested, but Sigurd couldn't bring himself to care, even about being referred to as "sister". He hugged his sister and buried his face in her hair.  
"I'm so happy." He whispered. "I'm so happy you're alive."  
"What on earth are you talking about!? Did you think Cuan somehow faked my signature in the letter I sent you?"

Sigurd blinked as he tried to recall what Ethlyn was talking about.

Ethlyn's irritation faded, and she gently pat Sigurd on the cheek.

"I understand you were worried, but I promise, it was just a cold and had nothing to do with the birth." She reassured her. "I'm okay. Altena is okay."

Finally, Sigurd remembered the anxiety he and his father had felt when they first learned that Ethlyn was pregnant. Sigurd and Ethlyn's own mother had caught ill just before giving birth to Ethlyn, and died shortly after. Both of the men of Chalphy had cried in relief when they got Ethlyn's letter informing them of the birth of her daughter.

Goodness, what an overreaction.

"It's good to see you too, Sigrid." Sigurd looked up to see Cuan smiling at him and Ethlyn. Sigurd released Ethlyn from his grip and hugged Cuan on his horse, not caring who saw.

He looked to see Finn giving him an odd look.

"Finn!" He exclaimed. "It's good to see you!"  
"Y-yes." He looked confused now. "It's... good to see you, too."  
"Did he make that good of an impression?" Cuan chuckled. "You've only met him once before."

Cuan apologized for only bringing Finn, but he didn't want to risk leaving Leonster undefended when things were tense with Thracia. Sigurd nodded in understanding and thanked the three of them for coming to help.

If he was right, once they took Jungby back from Verdane, they'd find Midayle near death. They had to hurry.

 

Six hours later, they'd killed the man Gandolf had stationed at Jungby Castle and located Midayle. Luckily, he'd fallen directly on his wound, and that had helped stop the blood flow, so Ethlyn was keeping watch over him. Midayle thanked them for rescuing them, and begged for them to let him accompany them to rescue Adean. Despite Ethlyn's protests, Sigurd agreed immediately, knowing that he wouldn't give up until they agreed. Ethlyn grumbled that she'd have to stay up all night in order to get his wounds healed, but she was smiling, even when Sigurd asked to stay with her as she did so.

If Sigurd had known that the day Ethlyn and Cuan departed from Sailane Castle that it would be the last time he ever saw them, he would have spent as much time with them as he could. If being shorter than Cuan and referred to as "Lady Sister" by Ethlyn was the price to pay to spend more time with them, he'd pay it gladly.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke to Ethlyn gently shaking him. She gestured to the sleeping Midayle before escorting Sigurd to the entrance of Jungby Castle with a grin.

"Some of the Jungby scouts said they spotted some reinforcements on their way here." Ethlyn explained with a mischievous grin.  
"For us or Verdane?"  
"Us. And I think you'll be happy to see them." Ethlyn giggled, not noticing Sigurd's confused look.

After they'd reclaimed Jungby Castle, Azel of Velthomer and Lex of Dozel had arrived (though Sigurd learned that they'd arrived at nearly the same time as Cuan, Ethlyn and Finn, and had merely focused on a different area). While Sigurd was happy to have more allies, he didn't see why Ethlyn thought Azel and Lex's arrival would make him particularly happy. They were both good men, certainly, but Azel was rather shy, and Lex was somewhat standoffish, saying that he'd only come because Azel had. Sigurd considered them both important allies, but he wasn't particularly close to either of them.

And the person to arrive after that...

Sigurd gave a shudder.

Duke Arvis of Velthomer. The man who'd stolen Deirdre away. The man who'd killed him after pretending to welcome him back home with open arms. How could he pretend to be friendly with such a man? Could he keep the facade up long enough for Arvis to leave?

An hour later, Sigurd heard someone call out "Lady Sigrid!"

He looked over the hill to see Azel waving excitedly at him. That was odd, considering how formal he'd been the last time Sigurd had gone through this.

Then he said something that made Sigurd's blood run cold.

"Lord Brother, she's over here!"

Arvis was already there? But he was supposed to arrive the following day! Why was he here now? And why did it sound like he'd come here _with_ Azel, when Azel had run off without Arvis's permission before, Sigurd was thinking to himself.

Arvis's face appeared over the hill and gazed at Sigurd. Sigurd's heart began racing, and his face was turning red, doubtlessly with rage. 

Arvis walked down the hill at a quick pace, and Sigurd walked toward him, unsure of what he was about to do. As Arvis reached toward him, Sigurd prepared to slap his hands away.

Instead, he felt his arms wrap themselves around Arvis's back.

 _What...?_ Sigurd thought to himself as Arvis returned the embrace.

As Arvis began to pull back, he looked into Sigurd's eyes and leaned closer. Realizing what he was about to do, Sigurd began telling himself to push him away, to bite him, to do _anything_ but what he ended up doing.

"What he ended up doing", of course, was returning Arvis's kiss. For a man who scorned the company of women, he was fairly good at it. Sigurd felt his body squeeze against Arvis's again, and it took everything he had to pull himself away and glare at him.

Sigurd felt his entire body beginning to grow warm, not merely his face. _Surely_ he was that enraged that Arvis had kissed him. Surely.

"Sigrid?" Arvis raised a curious eyebrow at him.  
"Wh-what was that for!?" Sigurd demanded, finally noticing just how tall Arvis was. It was odd, considering that Sigurd had been taller than Arvis both when he'd received the Silver Sword and at their confrontation at Belhalla. "You... You kissed me!"

(Arvis hadn't suddenly had an abrupt growth spurt, of course. Sigurd had simply gotten shorter.)

Arvis gave Sigurd an annoyed look.

"You were the one who insisted on kissing as a greeting." He crossed his arms. "You kept saying "Husbands and wives greet each other with a kiss"." 

Sigurd stood there for a few seconds, processing what Arvis had just said. "Husbands and wives greet each other with a kiss". That was true. In the few memories he had of his mother, she greeted her husband with a kiss, and he did the same for her. Sigurd himself always made sure to kiss Deirdre not just whenever they met after training, but also when they woke up in the morning. So why was Arvis saying that to Sigurd? Surely he wasn't implying that they were husband and wife? 

Sigurd suddenly became aware of a weight on his left hand. He'd been ignoring it since he woke up the previous day, but Arvis's words forced him to look.

There, on his ring finger, was a band. It was a modest, but carefully crafted ring.

Suddenly, he thought he saw Arvis gently sliding the ring onto his finger, looking rather stone-faced.

Sigurd blinked, but the images kept coming. He remembered being summoned to Belhalla by Prince Kurth (wait, when did that happen?), but as soon as he arrived, the prince suddenly left him alone with Duke Arvis, and it didn't take long before they realized they'd been set up.

"It wouldn't have worked out anyway." A voice that truly wasn't his spoke up. "We'd need to make sure we had at least two children to just inherit our Brands. And that's not even getting into the issue of who would inherit what."

For some reason, Arvis got an odd expression on his face at those words. He looked almost... guilty?

Before Sigurd had a chance to dwell on it, however, a new image appeared before him. His father was standing before him, a letter in his hand, looking somewhat uncertain. Standing next to him was Prince Kurth.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Sigrid?"  
"If you want my honest opinion, I'm uncertain about if this will work." The same voice, a woman's voice, spoke once more. "I'm still not entirely convinced Duke Arvis even _likes_ women. But I will do whatever it takes to make sure Chalphy has a strong future. If making it bound by blood to Velthomer is what it takes, I'll do it."

He felt his body move toward the door. When it opened, he saw Arvis speaking with King Azmur.

"Duke Arvis," He heard her voice say quietly, but with conviction. "I have received your proposal, and I have decided to accept it."

Despite the woman's words, Sigurd remembered going to bed alone for months after the wedding. It wasn't until a conversation with Ethlyn after her own wedding with Cuan that that changed.

"Leave it to me, Lady Sister." Ethlyn grinned, and Sigurd felt dread fill his stomach.

That night, Arvis and Sigurd were alone in a guest room in Leonster Castle.

"Lady Ethlyn is more forceful than I thought." Arvis said.  
"Try growing up with her." The voice replied.

They were sitting on a bed, facing different directions when Sigurd felt Arvis's fingertips touch his. They both pulled back for just a moment before allowing themselves to touch again, gently entertwining their fingers together. Finally, Sigurd felt his body climb fully onto the bed as Arvis did the same. He lay down as Arvis began to lean over him and-

 _ **No.**_ No, he was _not_ going to see that. He was not allowed to.

Finally, the images stopped flooding his brain, and it seemed that Sigurd had gotten the message.

He had not been forcibly changed into a woman, nor had his comrades had their memories altered to think he'd always been a woman. Just as their battle at Belhalla hadn't been a dream, nor was this.

Sigurd backed further away from Arvis and vomited.

He heard several shrieks and exclamations of alarm, but he could not understand a word of it. The world was spinning, and it soon went dark.

 

When he next woke, Arvis was sitting beside his bed.

"You collapsed after getting sick all over the garden." He said dryly. "I believe Lady Adean is the one who planted those tulips. You'll have to apologize when she returns."

"Arvis..." Sigurd said weakly. "Why are you here?"

It was something of a silly question. Sigurd knew why Arvis had come; He was to inform Sigurd of his knightly duties and bequeath him the Silver Sword granted to him by King Azmur. The question was why he was _still_ here when he could have simply left the sword and letter from the king with Sigurd's men, but even that was a rather silly question.

"I am here to accompany you on your mission to rescue Lady Adean, of course." Arvis frowned, as though the answer to the question was obvious.

(And to anyone else it would be, but Sigurd was not that bright, it seemed)

"You...? Come with me?" Sigurd still wasn't sure what he was hearing.  
"You told me yourself that Lady Adean is an important friend from your childhood." Arvis seemed annoyed, but did not lose his patience. "I knew you would go to attempt to rescue her despite not having enough forces. I would have come even if His Majesty hadn't ordered me to."

Despite his suspicions, Sigurd felt his face grown warm, particularly at Arvis's next words.

"What sort of husband would I be if I let my wife head into a den of wolves alone?"

There were those words again.

Husband. Wife.

"And what sort of brother would I be if I did not attempt to help Azel save the woman he loves?"

That jolted Sigurd from his thoughts. He remembered Azel saying that Arvis thought the idea of going to rescue a woman for such a reason was absurd, but now he was saying that he had a duty to help his brother do just that?

Sigurd's thoughts must have shown on his face, because Arvis gave a small cough and looked away, cheeks turning pink.

"Azel and I have spoken more in the past week than we have in years." He said quietly. "I think I have a better understanding of his feelings now."

For some reason, Sigurd felt overjoyed to hear his words.

"That's wonderful!" He said without thinking.  
"I'm not sure we'll ever be as close as you and your sister are, but..." Arvis allowed himself to smile, however small it was. "I'm glad we're moving forward."

The smile didn't last long.

"But about what you were saying earlier..." He stood up from his chair and sat on the bed. "You seemed upset when I kissed you."

Because we're both men, Sigurd thought. We're both men, and you not only ruined my life, but killed me.

But he couldn't just say that, of course. Everyone would think he'd gone mad.

Before Sigurd could say anything, however, Arvis continued.

"You've been doing a lot to encourage our relationship, but I wonder if you're worried about continuing down this path with me?" He asked, giving Sigurd a concerned look.

Before Sigurd could think of a proper response, however, his mouth seemed to move on its own.

"No, of course not!" He declared. "I want nothing more than for this work out!"

In his mind, Sigurd thought that that was a lie, but saying it out loud made it feel true.

"I..." Sigurd ran through the options in his mind. "I had just gotten over a cold. I didn't want you to catch it."  
"You didn't mention any illness in your last letter." Arvis gave him a suspicious look.  
"I-It passed fairly quickly, but you never know!"  
"I see." Arvis didn't seem fully convinced, but accepted his answer. "I'll let Ethlyn know you'll be joining everyone for dinner."

Then he kissed him. Sigurd had to force himself to not react with disgust.

"Thank you, Arvis." He said as Arvis left the room.

 

Arvis was kind, and did not join Sigurd in bed that night. He seemed concerned about his health, but did not push the issue.

Unfortunately, Adean was already gone from Evans by the time they took down Gandolf's men. Sigurd wanted to punch himself for letting himself react so badly that it caused a delay in their mission, but there was nothing they could do about that. Arvis sent a letter to the king informing him that they had taken Evans. Now they would have to hurry if they wanted to rescue Adean before Gandolf's men caught her and Dew when they escaped.

There was also the issue of Ayra and Shanan. Sigurd didn't think that there would be anything different about their confrontation, but there was always the possibility that Kinbois would send her out earlier than she'd been before, and that could go badly, considering that she would have no idea who Sigurd was, and likely wouldn't accept help from a Grannvalean to rescue her nephew and prince. He would have to move quickly.

For the first time since he'd learned about the nature of "his" relationship with Arvis, Sigurd was glad he was with them. Neither he nor Cuan had their Divine Weapons, so the Valflame would surely be helpful in clearing out the enemies quickly. If they got lucky, they might even be able to save King Batou.

Of course, that was only possible if they moved quickly, and Sigurd could only pray that they were fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Arvis/FemSigurd is one that I've been toying with for awhile now, and I'm glad to have gotten up the nerve to explore it in a fic, even if it's in the form of a psychological horror.


	2. The Maiden of the Spirit Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigurd's group ventures into Verdane to rescue Adean. He meets his beloved Deirdre, but something seems to be missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, there's a sex scene that gets a little bizarre. It's fully consensual, but Sigurd is mentally not taking it well.

The next morning, Sigurd left the room he'd been sleeping in, only to bump into Ethlyn.

"Lady Sister, Eldigan's here."  
"So when can I expect an explanation for what you're doing at Evans?" Sigurd looked behind Ethlyn to see Eldigan had been speaking to Arvis when he noticed him. "You're not making a formal attack on Verdane, are you?"

For a moment, Sigurd didn't answer. After all, his dead friend was standing before him, when the last time they'd met, they'd nearly come to blows that wouldn't have ceased until one of them was dead.

"As I have already told you, King Eldigan, we are on a rescue mission." Arvis sounded annoyed. "Lady Adean of Jungby was abducted by Prince Gandolf. We took up arms when they made no show of releasing her. Isn't that right, Sigrid?"  
"...Y-Yes." Sigurd nodded slowly.  
"I see." Eldigan relaxed. "Then I won't raise a fuss and be on my way. A quick warning though, Sigrid: I wouldn't leave this castle unattended. Some of the other Agustrian lords can be... ambitious."  
"I'll keep that in mind, Eldie. Thanks." Sigurd laughed. "When this is all over, let's have a drink together. You, me, a bottle of wine... Just like old times."

The last time he'd said those words to Eldigan, he'd smiled and said that that sounded like a nice plan. This time, however, Eldigan got an almost pained look on his face.

"I'm... not sure that's appropriate, Sigrid." He said slowly. "We're both married, after all. And I just recently became a father, at that."  
"Oh, that's right!" Sigurd remembered the letter Eldigan had sent. "How is Ares? Does he look more like his mother or his father?"  
"He's still a newborn." Eldigan laughed, and it felt almost sincere. "He looks more like a freshly harvested potato than either of us."

Sigurd laughed and waved goodbye to Eldigan, wondering why his reaction had been so different from before. While it was true that it was a bit inappropriate for a man and woman to meet and drink when they were both married to other people (indeed, it might even be inappropriate if only one of them was married), it didn't make sense for Eldigan to look so upset at the offer.

Sigurd pushed the thought from his mind and prepared to mount his horse. There would be time for that later. Adean still needed rescuing.

Arvis watched, his face neutral.

 

Arvis hadn't been lying about being closer to Azel, as it turned out.

Sigurd had caught them having a discussion about whether or not Azel's tome was in good condition. Azel didn't even seem uncomfortable, either.

Of course, Arvis wasn't the only one Azel had gotten closer to. He was far less formal to Sigurd himself than he had been before, though he was still rather respectful.

"It's been awhile, Lady Sigrid!" He greeted her cheerfully as they set out from Evans.  
"I-It has, hasn't it?" Sigurd agreed. "How are things between you and your brother?"  
"They've been going rather well!" Azel smiled warmly at her. "I think Lord Brother misses you, though. He often asks the messenger if there's word from Chalphy."

Sigurd felt his cheeks grow warm, but ignored it and continued speaking with Azel about life at Velthomer.

Soon, they came across Kinbois and his men. As expected, they fell easily to Sigurd's group. However, Genoa would soon send soldiers to attack, and Ayra would be among them. There wasn't much time for Sigurd to think. He needed to get to Genoa and kill the man Kinbois had left in charge immediately.

Azel and Lex told Sigurd that they'd be scouting ahead for any soldiers in the nearby forest. Alec and Noish were on standby in case Azel and Lex encountered any enemies. Ethlyn was watching Sigurd curiously.

"Is something bothering you, Lady Sister?" she asked. "Are you worried about our upcoming battle with Genoa?"  
"Y-Yes." Sigurd admitted. "I want to take out the castle leader as soon as I can."  
"Why is that?" Arvis, having overheard their conversation, walked over to them.  
"I-I think that if we take out the head, the soldiers will give up."  
"That would certainly be a benefit for us, but what makes you so sure?"

Sigurd gulped.

"There... There's a woman among Genoa's soldiers." He admitted. "But I don't think she's fighting with them willingly."

Arvis had looked toward Genoa at Sigurd's words and nodded.

"There is indeed a woman among the men, and from the looks of her clothing, I'd say she's Isaachian." He agreed.  
"What's an Isaachian woman doing all the way out here?" Ethlyn mused. "And you're right, Lady Sister, she doesn't look very happy to be out here."  
"I don't know." Sigurd lied. "But I don't want to kill her if I can help it."

"Well, taking her into custody _could_ be useful to gain intel on Isaach's movements." Arvis gave a small shrug before gesturing to Sigurd. "Allow me to accompany you to Genoa Castle."

Sigurd, trying not to let his reluctance show on his face, allowed Arvis onto the horse. He felt himself twitch when he felt Arvis's hands on his hips. He'd allowed Deirdre onto his horse before, of course. But Deirdre's hands were much smaller than Arvis's. Arvis's felt warmer, too. Granted, Arvis _was_ a descendent of Crusader Fala.

They rode around the back of the castle, away from the eyes of the army that would soon attack Sigurd's group. Sigurd did not know the man who was tasked with guarding the castle itself, but it did not matter, because soon the man was nothing more than a pile of ashes. Sigurd dismounted his horse and rushed inside, searching for the dungeon, ignoring Arvis's protests that he needed to head to the balcony to declare that the castle had been seized.

"Who are you?" He heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Prince Shanan in one of the cells. "Are you one of Kinbois's soldiers?"

"No!" Sigurd protested. "No, Kinbois is dead. You're free now."  
"Really?" The boy's eyes widened with excitement. "Wait, what about my aunt!?"  
"She-Your aunt?" Sigurd decided to play dumb.  
"He's making my aunt fight for him!" Shanan exclaimed. "Please tell me she's alive! If she sees I'm safe, she'll stop fighting!"  
"Well, then we'll have to get you to her right away!" Sigurd gave a small laugh.

They quickly departed the dungeons, and not a moment too soon; Arvis had gone to the balcony to make the declaration that Genoa had been seized, and that all of its warriors were to lay down their weapons. Most of the surviving soldiers complied, but Ayra had rushed toward the castle to make sure her nephew was safe. When she arrived and spotted Sigurd pulling the boy onto his horse, she charged. Arvis was readying the Valflame when Shanan shouted that Sigurd had saved him.

"Really?" Ayra sounded incredulous, not lowering her sword. " _You_ saved Shanan? A Grannvalean?"  
"It is the truth." Arvis declared, refusing to lower the Valflame. "Now lower your weapon, or die where you stand."

"And what is Grannvale even doing in Verdane?" Ayra took a step back, but did not lower her sword or take her eyes off of Sigurd.  
"A friend of mine was abducted." Sigurd dismounted his horse, pulling Shanan off after. "I came here to rescue her and happened to come across Shanan in the dungeon."  
"A friend?"  
"I-I think it might have been that blonde lady!" Shanan explained. "Remember? Gandolf was bragging to Kinbois that he was going to marry her, but she didn't look happy at all!"

Ayra paused, as though considering it.

"Princess Ayra."

Ayra gave Sigurd an alarmed look as he called her by name.

"Yes, I know who you are." Sigurd nodded. "Shanan told me that you're the younger sister of Crown-Prince Mariccle."  
"Well, he's the king now." Ayra spat bitterly. "Thanks to your people killing my father."  
"Yes, I understand that you're angry." Sigurd nodded. "But Shanan also told me that your brother tasked you with protecting his son. Do you really have the time to be fighting for Verdane when you have a young prince to protect?"

Ayra scowled, but lowered her sword in acknowledgement of Sigurd's point.

"Please, lay down your weapon for now." Sigurd gently pleaded. "As a descendent of Baldur, I promise to not betray you."  
"...Consider your trust reciprocated, then." Ayra nodded, putting her blade back in its sheath. "You _did_ save Shanan, and I am grateful for that. I still consider Grannvale my enemy, however. We Isaachians always repay our debts, but once it's been repayed, I can't guarantee that we won't be enemies."  
"I pray that that day never comes, Princess Ayra." Sigurd nodded.

 

The following day, Sigurd's group made their way into the forest. As the morning turned into afternoon, they met with Lex, who told them that he'd spotted someone carrying Azel deep into the woods, and Azel appeared to be in pretty bad shape.

Sigurd saw Arvis's jaw clench tightly at Lex's words. Without thinking, he reached out to touch his arm.

"I'm sure he's fine." He said gently. "Azel is stronger than he looks. I know he'll be okay."

Of course, Sigurd knew that Azel wasn't exactly okay. If things went the same way they had before, then Azel would live, certainly, but it was possible that things could go differently.

They wandered deeper into the forest, searching for Azel when they heard a woman screaming, followed by Lex shouting in alarm. Sigurd felt himself let out a sigh of relief. When they caught up to Lex, they saw him blocking a blow from a stave. The stave in question was in the hands of one Adean of Jungby.

As it turned out, _she_ had been the one Lex had seen carrying Azel. She and her companion, a thief named Dew ("Former thief!", he'd protested) had come across Azel being attacked by three of Gandolf's men. Azel managed to kill two of them, but he sustained heavy wounds doing so. The third had been about to finish him off when they'd arrived.

As Adean and Ethlyn went to work on healing Azel enough that he could be moved further, Sigurd noticed Arvis wandering away from the group and followed him. He found him burning three bodies to ashes.

"It's alright, you know." He said, grabbing Arvis's attention. "Adean and Ethlyn are the best healers I know. Azel will be back in action in no time."  
"I understand that." Arvis said quietly. "But I can't forgive them for putting him in that state in the first place."

Though the very idea horrified him, Sigurd imagined Ethlyn in the same state Azel was in. Indeed, Sigurd would not be able to forgive them either, had they gone after Ethlyn. Perhaps he was more similar to Arvis than he cared to admit.

Sigurd stepped toward Arvis and embraced him from behind.

"I understand how you feel." He whispered. "An older sibling's job is never really done. Ethlyn's a mother now, and I still worry about what might happen if Thracia ever invaded Leonster."  
"What would you do?" Arvis asked.  
"I'd get on my horse, ride all the way to the Thracian capital, and stab King Travant until he was a pile of mush."

Arvis coughed, and Sigurd could tell he was stifling a chuckle.

"Thank you." He said when he stopped.

"Sigrid?" Sigurd quickly let go at the sound of Cuan's voice. "We're ready to start setting up the tents."

He wondered if they'd been seen, but the smirk on Cuan's face told him what he needed to know.

 

"Cuan told me about your little rendezvous in the forest." Ethlyn giggled the following afternoon. "I'm happy, by the way."

Had Cuan really been listening the whole time? Sigurd made a note to punch him later.

"You also slept in the same tent last night." Ethlyn continued.  
"Nothing happened, Ethlyn." Sigurd declared as he fetched another bucket of water for Adean. "And stop teasing everyone. Adean was horribly flustered this morning."  
"I told her that she didn't need to find a husband, per se." Ethlyn gave a small pout. "But I worry about her, and I know you do, too."

That was true. Adean frequently left Jungby to search for her sister. In fact, she'd been on an expedition when Duke Ring left for Isaach with Sigurd's father and Prince Kurth. He'd heard that she'd returned and had been thinking of stopping by for a visit when he received word of Verdane's invasion. Adean had been training to become a knight when she suddenly decided to become a Cleric instead. She was capable of self-defense, but that could only protect her so much without a proper weapon. She took guards from Jungby along with her, of course, but that could get rather lonely in its own way. Sigurd remembered thinking it would be nice if Adean had some companions to travel with.

"Besides, I think she's feeling a little left out since she's the only one of us still single." Ethlyn gave a small chuckle. "I don't get to see her often now that I'm married. You get to see her more often since you divide time between Chalphy and Velthomer, but it'll surely get harder to meet once you have a child."

Sigurd's mind immediately went to Seliph. His little boy who had barely been learning to speak when Sigurd had sent him to Isaach, with no way of knowing if he'd made it there safely. His little boy who had cried inconsolably the night before he'd left, but was completely dry-eyed the following morning.

His little boy who might not be able to exist in this world.

Sigurd would soon meet Deirdre, but unless Deirdre was a man in this world, they could not produce a child together. And even if Deirdre was a man, could Sigurd allow himself to be held by her? He wanted to say he could, that he could love Deirdre no matter what, but he could not bring himself to believe it. After all, he was already married, or rather "Sigrid" was already married. Would his and Deirdre's bodies be able to become one without it feeling wrong, like it was a betrayal of the man Sigrid married?

 **Of course not**.

 

Within two days, they'd arrived at Marpha. Gandolf had put up quite a fight, but he was unable to withstand Azel's flames. The Crown-Prince of Verdane fell with hardly a notice from the people of Marpha. Dew, the boy Adean had escaped with, explained that he'd been rather cruel to the people there.

"Pretty much everyone prefers Prince Jamke." He said dismissively.

Of course, Sigurd had already known that, having heard Dew's explanation before. Indeed, his mind was more focused on finding Deirdre. He wandered the streets of Marpha, hoping to find the place where he'd first found her.

"Please, just let me be on my way!" A familiar voice cried out. Sigurd turned his head to see the silver hair he was so familiar with.

 _Deirdre_.

The man harassing her was undeterred by her protests, nor did he seem impressed when Sigurd walked up and demanded he leave. It wasn't until he realized who Sigurd was that he left, scowling all the way.

"I... Thank you, Lady Sigrid." Deirdre said quietly. Sigurd turned to look at the woman he loved, but something felt... off.

Deirdre's face filled Sigurd with joy. Seeing her as she was the day they first met felt wonderful, but something seemed to missing from the affection he felt. He allowed his gaze to follow the curves of her breasts, but he couldn't feel anything from them. He remembered the night they consummated their marriage, but he felt nothing down below.

He almost wanted to cry.

"You know who I am?" He forced himself to say.  
"Yes." Deirdre nodded. "I met a woman named Adean when she was brought here. It wasn't long, but she told me about you."  
"She did?"  
"She did indeed!" Deirdre smiled. "She was sure that her old friend would be there to save her."

"What..." Sigurd swallowed hard. "What is your name?"  
"I-I'm sorry." Deirdre suddenly seemed hesitant. "I need to-I need to go!"  
"Please wait!" Sigurd protested, but she was already wandering off.

_"I'm glad we were able to meet."_

Those had been the words Deirdre had left him with before. Why hadn't she said them now?

"Something the matter, Lady Sigrid?" The town's elder walked up to him. "It seems your conversation with Deirdre is troubling you. Did she say something rude to you?"  
"No..." Sigurd shook his head. "Not at all. I was just... enchanted by her beauty."  
"Ha ha!" The elder laughed. "So it's true that even women have been charmed by her!"

The elder soon stopped laughing.

"Still, it might be for the best that you don't meet again." He explained. "The villagers of the Spirit Forest keep to themselves, and Deirdre in particular is prohibited from meeting with men. I understand that you're a married woman, but some of the men in your army appear to be single. It would only lead to heartbreak for them."

The elder left without another word.

 

Sigurd made his way back to the inn they'd checked into, dread filling his heart. But why? Surely he'd be meeting Deirdre again soon. After all, Prince Jamke was soon going to mobilize his troops to take back Marpha, and Sigurd would find Deirdre in the forest. There'd be plenty of time for them to talk then.

After supper, he entered the room he was sharing with Arvis.

"Sigrid?" Arvis asked, placing his hand on his shoulder "Is something the matter? You looked out of it at dinner."

Sigurd threw his arms around Arvis, burying his face into his chest. It was strange. Sigurd had never thought much of Arvis's scent before, but now he couldn't get enough of it. In fact, he wanted to be overwhelmed by it, covered by it, marked by it. His heart was racing.

"I want..." Sigurd felt his mouth moving on its own again. "I want to be held by you."  
"What?" Arvis asked, unsure of what Sigurd had just said.  
"I want you to embrace me." Sigurd pulled his face away, looking into Arvis's eyes. "All night, until I feel like I can't even walk."

That got a reaction out of Arvis, albeit a subdued one. His eyes widened slightly, but he remained calm and collected.

"I see." He replied as he gently pressed his lips to Sigurd's.

Sigurd's mind began screaming at him to push Arvis away, but his body seemed to ignore it. In fact, his body seemed to be completely ignoring his mind, as though he'd lost control over it.

Arvis led Sigurd to the bed, kissing him as he lay on it. He began pulling Sigurd's boots off, followed by tugging on his trousers until Sigurd's lower half was bare. Sigurd reached toward Arvis, wanting to slap him. Instead, however, he felt his hands pulling Arvis's coat off.

"Getting a little enthusiastic, are we?" Arvis gave him a small smirk as he pulled his boots off.

Sigurd watched as Arvis stood up, pulling off his clothes. He felt his body growing hot as more and more of Arvis's skin was exposed. When Arvis was almost completely nude, Sigurd sat up and began pulling off his dress shirt. When it finally went over his head, Arvis climbed onto the bed and kissed him once more. Sigurd couldn't even bring himself to feel disgust.

Soon, however, Arvis's hands began to touch him, reminding Sigurd of the state his body was in.

 _Were the breasts always this big_ , he wondered. He'd been ignoring them by closing his eyes when he dressed and bathed, but now that Arvis was gently rubbing them, Sigurd could only focus on them.

Arvis's hands moving away from them would have been a small mercy had they not begun moving downward towards -

"Wait!" Sigurd finally regained control of his mouth. "I-I'm already getting wet."

He reached down to touch the vagina (he couldn't bring himself to think of it as his), only to realize that it was true. He actually wanted this.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur, but Sigurd knew that he wouldn't be forgetting this any time soon, regardless of how much he may have wanted to.

He couldn't forget how he'd actually taken Arvis's penis into his mouth, licked it until Arvis told him to stop, and then eagerly spread his legs to allow Arvis entrance.

Arvis's thrusts alternated between gentle and rough. His kisses made Sigurd feel almost like he was with Deirdre again. Despite Sigurd's mind screaming that he didn't want this, his body refused to acknowledge it. Indeed, it seemed eager and receptive to Arvis's. In fact, it almost felt like his body was about to overwhelm his mind.

Their copulation had left Sigurd too exhausted to stay awake despite his horror at what he'd just done, but before he slipped into sleep, Sigurd thought he'd heard a woman's voice (which could have only been his current voice) tell Arvis "I love you".

 

Sigurd awoke to the sound of movement in the room. Stirring, he opened his eyes to see Arvis getting dressed.

"Is..." He yawned. "Is it already time to march?"  
"No, Sigrid." Arvis whispered. "Unfortunately, I've just received word that King Azmur wants me to return to Belhalla."  
"You're not going with us?"  
"I'm afraid not." He turned to look at him, and Sigurd almost thought he saw fear in his eyes. "It's... confidential. Related to the Isaachian war."  
"Is there news from the front?"  
"That's... what I'm going to find out." Arvis smiled at him, but it was painfully fake. 

He was obviously lying. Sigurd decided that whatever was taking Arvis back to Belhalla was related to the conspiracy to kill Prince Kurth. But how could he bring it up? He hadn't known anything about Arvis as a man, and he arguably still didn't as a woman.

But was that really true?

"Are you..." Sigurd murmured. "Are you afraid to enter the Spirit Forest?"  
"Wh-What?" Arvis gave him an incredulous look.  
"Shortly before I departed Velthomer for Chalphy, you told me that your mother was from the Spirit Forest... That she was a descendant of Saint Maira."

When did that happen? Sigurd tried to search his memories for any sort of conversation they'd had. But he'd never spoken to Arvis about any of this. He had no way of knowing where Arvis's mother was from, or who she was. He only knew that her name was Cigyun and she'd had an affair with Prince Kurth. Why did he know this?

"Could it be... that you're afraid we might find the people of the Spirit Forest? That we might find your mother among them?" Sigurd's mouth ignored his confusion and continued speaking.

Arvis got a hard look on his face, but did not say anything.

"It's alright if you are." Sigurd smiled at him. "But I would like it if we went there together some day, regardless of what we find."

Arvis looked away.

"I don't think I'm ready to confront my mother's family." He said quietly. "But it _is_ true that I've been summoned to Belhalla."  
"I see." Sigurd swallowed the sadness in his heart.  
"But I'll send word as soon as I arrive." Arvis tried to assure him. "Likewise, I'll be expecting word when you deal with Verdane's capital."  
"Of course."  
"And Sigrid... thank you." He smiled at him. "I love you."  
"I love you, too."

Sigurd told himself it was a lie as Arvis leaned in to kiss him.

 

The next day passed in a blur.

Sigurd rose, dressed, and set off toward the forest with his men, trying as hard as he could to process the night before.

He'd kissed Arvis. He'd kissed Arvis on his own, without having to be kissed first. He'd _slept with_ him, and he'd _enjoyed_ it. He'd even felt excited when he realized what was happening. He even loved the soreness he felt when he rose from the bed.

He'd told Arvis that he _loved_ him, and despite telling himself that it was a lie, it didn't feel like it had been.

"Sigrid?" Adean's voice tried to jolt him from his thoughts. "Are you listening?"  
"Hey, Sigrid!" Cuan's shout finally did the trick. "Do you know the plan?"

Sigurd blinked as he tried to remember what he'd been discussing with them.

"I'm going to find an empty clearing and wait for Prince Jamke's troops to find me." Adean sighed as she explained the plan specifics. "Prince Jamke will be leading them, and if he sees me, he'll come out to talk to me. With any luck, I'll be able to convince him to stand down."  
"We're going to be on standby in case things go south." Cuan continued, gesturing to himself, Sigurd, Azel and Ethlyn.

Yes, Sigurd remembered this plan, having agreed to it before. He'd been reluctant to agree, but relented in the face of Adean's pleas. Then Adean had jokingly suggested that Jamke could introduce Sigurd to the woman he'd met at Marpha. Adean didn't mention that this time, however.

The scene played out the same as it did before. Jamke nearly hit Adean in the throat, but agreed to stand down as long as no harm came to his father.

"Of course." Sigurd said as he stepped into the clearing. "King Batou is a good man. It would be a shame if Verdane lost him."

Sigurd and Jamke shook hands before Jamke shouted for his men to stand down. Soon, Sigurd's army was on the march again.

At some point, Sigurd excused himself from the group so he could get a drink from a nearby stream. There was pain in his abdomen, but it felt different from the soreness he'd felt when he got up that morning. But it didn't make sense; he hadn't sustained any wounds around there.

"Are you alright?" He heard a voice ask from ahead of him. "You have a rather uncomfortable look on your-Oh!"

Sigurd looked up to see Deirdre. Without thinking, he said her name.

"Then you know who I am." She said uncomfortably.  
"Yes. The village elder told me about you." Sigurd nodded, standing up. "I... I couldn't stop thinking about you."

That wasn't entirely true. Just the previous night, Deirdre had barely crossed Sigurd's mind. Of course, his mind was rather preoccupied at the time, but a lie was a lie.

In fact, Deirdre herself seemed to think Sigurd's statement was odd.

"I... also had worries about what might happen if I never saw you again." She said slowly, as though wondering what was going through Sigurd's mind. "Verdane Castle is guarded by a man named Sandima, and he possesses a staff with a terrible power."

Yes, Sigurd had heard these words before, but they had been filled a concern for Sigurd's safety the last time Deirdre had said them. And while there was certainly concern for the well being of Sigurd and his army in Deirdre's voice now (Deirdre's kind heart was one of the things he'd loved about her, after all), it seemed more... general.

"Please, Lady Sigrid..." She pleaded with him. "Take me with you! I can help you stop Sandima!"  
"Of course!" Sigurd said without thinking. "We... We can use all the help we can get."

That was the moment Sigurd realized what had been missing before and was still missing now. He'd loved Deirdre. He _still_ loved her. But the yearning he'd felt to hold her the first time they met was gone. Indeed, Sigurd tried to imagine laying with Deirdre in bed, laughing as her hair tickled his skin, kissing as they whispered sweet nothings to each other... but he felt nothing. There was no yearning for what he had with her before, no desire to try it again regardless of the state his body was in. The only thing left was emptiness, or rather, an awareness of the emptiness.

"Lady Sigrid?" He heard Azel's voice calling from the distance. "Where are you?"  
"Are those your companions?" Deirdre asked.  
"Yes." Sigurd nodded mechanically. "The man who just called for me is my brother-in-law."  
"Oh!" Deirdre smiled sweetly at him. "I didn't know you were married."  
"I am." Sigurd replied. "Unfortunately, my husband had to return home."  
"Oh, that's a shame." Deirdre gave him a sympathetic look.

"Lady Sigrid, did you find somethi-" Azel appeared near some trees, only to stop when he saw Deirdre.  
"Yeah, I'm here, Azel." Sigurd waved to him. "And I've... found a new ally."

Azel still appeared to be staring at Deirdre curiously.

"Azel?" Sigurd heard Adean's voice. "Is something wrong?"  
"It's okay!" Sigurd called. "I'm okay!"

The rest of the group caught up and soon everyone was introducing themselves to Deirdre.

"Are you alright, Azel?" Sigurd asked. "You were staring at Deirdre."  
"Oh!" Azel shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking that she looked familiar. But I know I've never met her before."  
"Are you sure?" Sigurd asked, giving Azel a curious look.  
"Yes." Azel nodded. "I've definitely never met her before, but I feel like I've seen her face somewhere."  
"Her face?"  
"Yeah. Maybe in a book or something."

Instantly, Sigurd's mind went to the hallway at Velthomer Castle. There were portraits of the previous lords of the castle and their wives. But that didn't make sense. Why would Azel thinking Deirdre looked familiar invoke memories of that place? How strange, he thought.

Sigurd shrugged it off, however. When Ethlyn met up with the group, she explained that Lex had wandered off somewhere and Ayra had left to find him, but neither of them had returned yet.

 

Sandima's defeat played out the same way it had before. Sigurd felt his heart clench when he discovered King Batou laying in a pool of his own blood. He'd ordered Adean and Ethlyn to accompany him in searching the castle ("Just in case there are any wounded", he'd argued), but despite Adean and Ethlyn's best efforts, the good king died with barely enough time to warn Sigurd of the Loptyr Sect and say goodbye to his son.

The king's funeral was a quiet affair, attended only by his son and the few attendants that hadn't sworn loyalty to Sandima. Officials from Belhalla arrived with orders for Sigurd to maintain Evans as a base of operations. Just in case Agustria tried anything, was their argument.

Sigurd naturally protested, but Jamke accepted the terms without any fuss. Even if he hadn't been responsible for Adean's abduction, he still had an obligation to answer for his brother's crime, since Gandolf could no longer do so himself, he'd said. When Sigurd continued to protest, the officials warned that Sigurd would be held in contempt of the king if he continued his stubborn refusal. Sigurd finally agreed reluctantly.

Despite the fact that Adean had been rescued, Cuan, Ethlyn and Finn remained with Sigurd's group.

"Are you sure you don't want to return home, Ethlyn?" He tried to argue. "I'm sure Altena misses you."  
"It's fine, Lady Sister." Ethlyn gave a small laugh. "We haven't seen each other in awhile, so let's spend some time together!"  
"And Father has been doing well lately, so there's no rush." Cuan agreed.

The idea sounded wonderful to Sigurd, but fears of Cuan and Ethlyn meeting the same fate of being slaughtered in the Yied Desert plagued Sigurd for weeks. Finally, in the seventh week following Sandima's defeat, Sigurd woke with a sudden, violent urge to vomit. He barely had time to get ahold of a bucket before purging the previous night's dinner from his stomach.

"Are you alright, Lady Sister?" Ethyln pounded on the door.  
"Y-Yeah!" Sigurd exclaimed. "I'm fine! Just a little... stress vomit."  
"Stress vomit?" Ethlyn opened the door.  
"Yeah, I've been kind of... worried about everything."  
"Is that so?" Ethlyn didn't seem convinced, but apparently let the subject drop. "By the way, Lady Sister, when was your last cycle?"  
"My what?"  
"Your monthly bleeding." Ethlyn seemed embarrassed.

Sigurd blinked as he tried to figure out what Ethlyn was talking about. Monthly bleeding? He vaguely remembered Ethlyn having a conversation with one of Chalphy's female servants as she entered puberty, and he knew that women dealt with such a thing once a month, but why was Ethlyn asking about that? Sigurd hadn't had one of those since he found himself this state, so he couldn't answer her question.

"I... I don't know." He said, reasoning that that wasn't a lie.  
"I see." Ethlyn gave her a mischievous look. "Then perhaps I need to get out my knitting needles."  
"What for?"  
"To make baby socks, of course."  
"Why?" Sigurd gave her a puzzled look. "You made plenty for Altena when you were pregnant."  
"Not for my baby, Lady Sister." Ethyln grinned. "For yours."

What?

Sigurd tilted his head at Ethlyn, staring at her as though she'd grown an extra head or two.

"You and Duke Arvis weren't exactly... quiet at the inn that night." Ethlyn explained. "Thankfully, your room was at the end of the hall, so Cuan and I were the only ones you disturbed."

They'd been heard!? Sigurd felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.

"I was disappointed when he left so early in the morning, but it looks like he left you with a little parting gift." Ethlyn sighed as she poked Sigurd's belly.  
"You-You're not implying that I'm pregnant, are you!?" Sigurd gasped. Rather slow on the uptake, wasn't he?  
"I'm not really "implying" that you are." Ethlyn shook her head. "I'm more "remembering my own symptons and connecting the dots with yours"."  
"I can't be pregnant!" Sigurd protested, shaking his head.  
"If you're that unsure, let's go see Adean." Ethlyn rolled her eyes. "She should be awake by now."

Before long, Sigurd found himself laying on a bed as Adean examined him with her stave.

"So the last time you went to bed with your husband was seven weeks ago..." Adean noted. "But you can't remember the last time you had your cycle. Hmm..."

She thought about it for a few moments before sitting down.

"I think it's a safe bet that you're pregnant, but I can't be sure." She finally said. "At the very least, I'd suggest you take it easy."

This couldn't be happening. Despite Sigurd's attempts to discretely warn King Imuka of his impending death at the hands of his son, the king had been killed three weeks earlier. In two weeks, Chagall was going to arrest Eldigan and they'd have to go to battle again. Could Sigurd go into battle knowing he'd be risking Seliph's life? Was the child growing inside of him even Seliph? 

After all, the child was Arvis's.

"Please don't tell anyone about this." He pleaded with Ethlyn and Adean. "I need more time to... To make sure."

Both women were confused by Sigurd's behavior, but agreed. Sigurd thanked them and departed for his room, saying he wasn't feeling well that day.

When he shut the door, he grabbed the still-full bucket and vomited again.


	3. Disturbance in Agustria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise in Agustria, and Sigurd sees some signs that weren't present before. Along the way, he feels the full weight of the body he's trapped in.

Despite Sigurd's prayers, he still felt nauseous in the mornings for the next two weeks.

When Alec came to him one afternoon informing him of Eldigan's arrest, he braced himself and warned his group to prepare to take up arms.

"Are you sure that's wise, Lady Sister?" Ethlyn gave him a worried look. "If Chagall finds out that you're planning to rescue Eldigan..."  
"It's not Eldigan I'm worried about." Sigurd shook his head. "I've... heard rumors that Heirhein is planning to strike Nordion."

When Ethlyn tried to protest that a rumor wasn't enough to risk an international incident, Sigurd brought up that Heirhein's prince had attempted to take Evans while they were rescuing Adean. Eldigan, who'd be been the one to stop them, had told them about it when they returned from Verdane's capital. 

"That's true..." Ethlyn conceded the point. "But even so-"  
"Ethlyn, Eldie and I promised to always have each other's backs." Sigurd shook his head.  
"And that means looking out for each other's family." Cuan nodded in agreement. "Lady Lachesis is a spitfire, but she's still only one person."

Eldigan's wife could not take up arms, he explained. Grahnye was a childhood friend of Cuan's, and he knew that she'd been sickly since she was a child. Not to mention she was still nursing her son.

"The point is, Nordion's going to need all the help they can get." Sigurd finished.  
"And why do you have to go!?" Ethlyn protested. "What if-"  
"Ethlyn!" Sigurd shouted. "Enough!"

Adean stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Ethlyn's shoulder. She gave Sigurd a concerned look, but made no attempt to argue, realizing that Sigurd was not going to stay behind.

"Excuse me." A voice interrupted them.

They turned to see a blond man walking toward the group.

"You..." Ayra spoke up, giving the man a surprised look. "You're not serious, are you?"  
"I am." The man, who Sigurd recognized as Holyn, nodded. "I can't remember the last time I fought for a real cause. Please, allow me to join you!"

Sigurd agreed without an argument. As Lex whispered to Ayra, asking who the man was, Sigurd began to gather his supplies.

"Lady Sister, have you had your cycle since the last time we talked about this?" Ethlyn hissed under her breath.  
"No." Sigurd snapped back.  
"That isn't normal!" Ethlyn groaned. "Even if you aren't pregnant, it could be a sign that you're sick!"  
"I don't care." Sigurd glared at Ethlyn, ending the argument. "We're going."

Ethlyn glared back, but made no further protest.

 

Lachesis and Grahnye were both grateful for the help, but there seemed to be something slightly cold in the latter's voice as she thanked him, which seemed odd to Sigurd. She'd always been rather polite. While Sigurd knew that Grahnye had been frustrated by how the situation with Agustria's occupation turned out, it hadn't happened yet, so there was no reason for her to be hostile, was there?

"It's very kind of you to come help our family despite being a married woman with a family of her own." Grahnye smiled at her, but with an obvious edge to it.  
"Oh, I don't have any children yet." Sigurd laughed weakly.  
"But that will surely change soon, right?" Ethlyn spoke up. "Won't it, Lady Sister?"

Sigurd glared at Ethlyn, who looked away.

Lachesis was kinder, but she seemed more awkward than she normally was.

"It's good to see you again, Sigrid." Her smile was stiff, but there didn't seem to be any anger behind it.

Sigurd greeted her politely, then explained that it was likely that Heirhein would be planning another attack.

"Didn't we just crush their forces?" Noish sounded incredulous.  
"It's unlikely that Sir Elliot's father would allow him to take _all_ of Heirhein's troops with him." Oifey spoke up. "But after such a humiliating defeat, he might change his mind."

Sigurd declared that they'd set out at dawn. Grahnye allowed them to stay in the castle for the night and had a meal prepared for them, but she still seemed rather distant for reasons Sigurd couldn't comprehend.

The next morning, Sigurd instructed Dew to remain at Nordion Castle and keep an eye on Mackily, explaining that the lord of the castle wasn't likely to try anything at the moment, but he might change his mind if they were forced to attack Anphony.

"And what makes you think I'll be able to do anything to stop them?" Dew asked, sounding baffled.  
"Not them." Sigurd gestured to Lachesis, who was speaking with Ethlyn and Adean. "Her. Eldie's little sister has been known for being a bit of a hothead. I want you to make sure she doesn't try to charge off on her own if something happens."

Dew stared at Lachesis for a moment before turning back to Sigurd.

"Okay, what makes you think I'll be able to stop _her_?"  
"You can do it." Sigurd waved his hand dismissively. "I believe in you."  
"That's not an answer." Dew protested.  
"Then do it because I told you to." Sigurd groaned.  
"What are you, my mother?"

Sigurd whipped his head back to glare at Dew, who quickly apologized and walked over to Lachesis without another word.

Sigurd groaned as he prepared to mount his horse. He hadn't been able to remember how he'd convinced Dew to stay at Nordion before. He remembered that Dew had been just as skeptical as he had been just then, but he'd put up much less of a fight.

Or perhaps it just seemed like he had. Who could say?

"Hey, Lady Sigrid..." Sigurd turned around to see Azel watching him. "Are you alright?"  
"Of course, Azel." He answered automatically. "Dew just didn't want to cooperate."  
"It's not just that." Azel shook his head. "You've been a lot more irritable than normal. Is everything okay?"  
"I don't see what you mean, Azel."  
"You and Lady Ethlyn have been at each other's throats since we left Evans. Lady Adean keeps trying to play peacemaker, but I think she's reaching the end of her rope, too."

Azel fidgeted where he stood.

"Are you sick?" He finally asked. "Is that why Lady Ethlyn is so worried about you?"  
"No, Azel." Sigurd sighed, preparing to mount his horse once again.  
"But there's no other reason for why Lady Ethlyn doesn't want you to fight unless-" Azel stopped for a split second, and Sigurd turned around to see what made him stop.

"Wait-" Azel said slowly, his eyes growing wide. "Are you-"

Sigurd quickly slammed his hand over Azel's mouth.

" _No_." He hissed firmly. "No, I am _not_. And I don't want you to speak a word of this to anyone until this mess is sorted out."

"Lady Sigrid!" He turned to see Deirdre walking over. "Azel is simply concerned for you. There's no need to get angry."  
"He doesn't need to." Sigurd removed his hands from Azel and climbed onto his horse.  
"You're my brother's wife!" Azel protested. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you!"

Sigurd hated when he was reminded of that.

 

The rest of Heirhein's forces fell as easily as Sigurd had expected, but the battle had exhausted him. He collapsed onto the cot in his tent and was asleep before the sun had finished setting. 

When he awoke the next morning, he learned that Azel had finally confessed his feelings to Adean, and she'd accepted them. 

They held a quick ceremony at the nearby chapel, with Cuan walking Adean down the aisle in place of Duke Ring. Sigurd had done so before, but because of the state his body was in, the possibility never came up. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him, but under Sigurd's current circumstances, it was just another reminder of his condition.

"Congratulations, you too." He'd forced a smile, and they both thanked him for being there.  
"I apologize for lashing out at you the other day." He apologized. "I was worried about the upcoming battle and-"  
"Sigrid." Adean's tone turned sharp. "Please do not lie to me."

Sigurd took a step back.

"You've been irritable, sluggish, and easily exhausted for weeks now." She continued. "I know what those symptoms are. And I think you do, too."  
"Adean..." Sigurd tried to protest.  
"I promised I would keep it a secret until you found out for sure, but now I'm convinced." Adean shook her head. "I'll give you three days to tell the others the truth. If you don't, I will tell them myself."

Sigurd tried to argue, but Adean only said that keeping secrets wasn't helping anyone, and it would only make it harder when the others inevitably figured it out themselves.

Azel said nothing, but nodded in agreement with his bride.

"...Very well." Sigurd replied, wishing for perhaps the millionth time that this was all a dream.

 

Beowolf thankfully didn't need much convincing to defect. Sigurd had never found out what the man's past with Eldigan was, but at least he was on their side now. As Beowolf began mingling in with the others, Sigurd made a note to pay Finn back the money that had been used as payment. 

As they made their way toward the villages east of Anphony, Alec mused to Noish that he might be able to rescue a cute village maiden.

"Afraid not." A voice called out. "The bandits have already been cleared out."  
"Cleared out?" Alec looked around for the source of the voice. "How?"  
"That would be my doing." Sigurd was not surprised to see a shadow jumping over their heads. For a guy trying to hide his status as royalty, Lewyn sure had a flair for drawing attention to himself. "Now... Which one of you is Sigrid of Chalphy?"  
"That would be me." Sigurd replied, waiting to get off of his horse. "And you are?"  
"Name's Lewyn." The man replied. "I'm a traveling bard. Now, I'd like for us to have a little chat about your warmongering hobby."

Finally, Sigurd dismounted his horse and walked toward Lewyn. He'd been taller than Lewyn before, but now Lewyn had a couple inches on him. He appeared to be sizing Sigurd up, and for some reason his gaze made Sigurd feel self-conscious. He shook it off and decided to carry on the conversation like normal, but it didn't go quite as planned.

Sigurd had forgotten how confrontational Lewyn could be. Or perhaps it was simply his mood that made it seem like Lewyn was being ruder than he thought. It didn't make sense; he was saying and doing the same things as before, but for some reason he just felt agitated.

"You're wasting your time." Lewyn shook his head as Sigurd prepared to re-mount his horse. "There's no way Macbeth will listen to you."  
"Yeah, well, keep watching!" Sigurd shouted back. "Or are you saying you're going to try to stop me?"  
"Where in gods' names are you getting these ideas from?" Lewyn groaned as he rubbed the temples of his forehead.  
"I apologize, sir." Azel stepped forward and tried to play peacemaker. "My sister-in-law is pregnant."  
"Azel!" Sigurd exclaimed, glaring daggers at him.  
"And that can cause mood swings on occasion." Adean nodded. "You'll have to forgive her rudeness."

Before Sigurd could say anything, he saw Adean mouth "three days" at him, and Sigurd was suddenly aware that all eyes were on him.

"Lady Sigrid?" Alec was staring at her with a wide-eyed look.  
"Is there something you'd like to tell us?" Noish asked.

None of the people who didn't already suspect were happy about the news, and none of them allowed Sigurd to lash out at Azel and Adean. After all, Sigurd had been keeping a secret from them. It was dishonest of him as a leader, they said. They were distracted from the conversation by Jamke firing an arrow at a bandit sneaking up on Sylvia, who'd been watching from behind a tree.

Sylvia introduced herself in her bombastic fashion and the subject of Sigurd's pregnancy was soon dropped. That evening, the others approached him and offered their congratulations and concerns. Sigurd promised to be more forthcoming with them in the future, and the following morning, they made their way to Anphony. Thankfully, the battle went as it had before, and soon, Lord Filat arrived and told Sigurd the story of Lady Cigyun and Prince Kurth.

That was where it all clicked.

Despite Lady Cigyun's fleeing from Velthomer, Arvis kept her portrait hanging in the hall. A memory of being curious of her long silver hair came to Sigurd, even if it wasn't his. The woman in the portrait bore a rather striking resemblance to Deirdre. And if her affair with Prince Kurth led to a pregnancy, then...

Sigurd gave a shudder as several things occurred to him.

He pushed his revelations aside and made the decision to focus on the coming battles. He would need to speak with Cuan and Eldigan about this, but it would have to wait until Eldigan was rescued. For now, he ordered Adean to warp Lewyn back to Evans. Ferry's Pegasus Knight squad would arrive any day now.

 

"Ma'am, King Chagall was pulled from the battlefield." Oifey explained.  
"Yeah, I heard." Sigurd lied. "And the person who pulled him from the battlefield..."  
"That would be me." Eldigan's voice came from behind him. "Regardless of what he's done, he's still my liege. I could not stand by and let him die."  
"Yeah, that sounds like you." Sigurd smiled wryly. "I'm glad you're alright. I'd heard you'd been arrested."  
"So you know what _I've_ been up to." Eldigan remarked dryly. "Now why don't you tell me what _you've_ been doing?"  
"Believe me, I'm just as confused as you are." Sigurd groaned. "The other Agustrian lords suddenly became hostile. For the time being, I've been ordered to stay put and maintain the public order."  
"I see."  
"The letter from the king said that things would surely calm down within a year, but..."  
"But...?" Eldigan gestured for him to continue.  
"I-I don't want to have this conversation here." Sigurd shook his head. "I would prefer that we have it at Nordion."

Eldigan gave him a puzzled look, but nodded.

Sigurd placed Azel in charge of Agusty until he returned, then mounted his horse and rode to Nordion with Eldigan, Cuan, Ethlyn, and Deirdre.

When they arrived at that evening, Grahnye greeted her husband with a smile, but her expression seemed to sour when she saw that Sigurd was with him. Still, she said nothing to directly to Sigurd, and merely thanked him for rescuing her husband.

"Even so," She continued. "Grannvale seems to be overstepping its boundaries. I can understand why the situation in Verdane played out as it did, but it seems to be a bit of an... overreaction to have officials take over the duchies of Agustria when her king still lives."  
"Indeed." Sigurd replied grimly. "I have a few... suspicions about that, myself."

Grahnye stared at him for a moment before telling him that she'd have tea sent up in a few minutes. Sigurd decided to wait until it arrived before starting the conversation.

"I... I think King Azmur is being manipulated." He finally said when the servant departed.  
"Manipulated?" Eldigan looked at him skeptically. "By whom?"  
"I don't know." Sigurd shook his head. "But I think their aim is Deirdre."  
"Me?" Deirdre looked worried at the suggestion. "But the only people who would have any reason to want me are-"  
"The Loptyr Sect, I think."

Eldigan, Cuan, and Ethlyn all expressed surprise at this information.

"Hold on, hold on." Cuan stood and raised his hands. "Before we continue this conversation, I think we ought to make sure that no one's eavesdropping." 

His voice grew louder with his final words, and his gaze moved toward the door.

"Grahnye." He spoke up once more. "I know you're there. Get in here."

The door opened and in walked an unhappy-looking Grahnye.

"Probably not a good idea to eavesdrop on a conversation where one of the people involved knows you've had that bad habit since you were a child." Cuan said dryly. "Just a heads up."

Grahnye gave Cuan a dirty look, but apologized for her rudeness and began to excuse herself.

"Wait." Sigurd stopped her. "I'll need a promise that you won't speak of what you just heard to anyone."  
"Of course not." Grahnye gave a small scoff. "A month after my wedding, a family in the nearby town was accused of being Loptyrians despite being well-known for their devotion to Naga. They were burned alive despite a complete lack of evidence. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, let alone a stranger."

She turned to Deirdre and assured her that she'd make sure no one came in the direction of the room before leaving without another word, shutting the door behind her. Cuan listened at the door for a few seconds before nodding, satisfied that she'd left.

"We drifted apart as we got older, but I know she never got over that habit of hers." He shook his head, giving a small laugh. "I think she was worried about Eldigan, but I think listening in assuaged her fears somewhat. Let's continue what we were talking about."

"Deirdre, what can you tell us about your mother?" Sigurd asked, turning to Deirdre.  
"I-I know my mother's name was Cigyun." Deirdre began nervously. "I know that she left the Spirit Forest many years ago, but returned just before I was born. She apparently collapsed at the village entrance late one night. By the time they found her, she'd gone into labor.

"Supposedly, when my mother heard the midwife say that I was a girl, she started screaming." She continued. "In fact, from the way they talked about it, it was more like she went into hysterics. She had apparently had a son while she was living outside the forest, but she was too worked up to speak clearly, and they had to sedate her. They planned to ask more questions when she woke up but... she never did. That's why I was not allowed to associate with men."  
"Was your mother-" Eldigan's eyes grew wide.  
"Yes." Deirdre nodded. "My mother was a descendant of Saint Maira, so she carried minor Loptyr blood. She passed it down to me. And because she'd already had a child, she'd broken our village's laws by having me."  
"I see." Ethlyn gave her an understanding look. "The Loptyr Sect was largely wiped out, but there are still some factions out there that would love to resurrect the Dark God. If you and your brother were to produce a child..."

She gave a shudder before getting a thoughtful look on her face.

"But, we don't know for sure that he inherited Saint Maira's blood, though, right?" She mused. "For all we know, we could be worrying over nothing."

"My mother was certain of it."  
"He did."

All eyes turned to Sigurd, who spoke at the same time as Deirdre.

"You... _know_ that my brother inherited Saint Maira's blood?" Deirdre stared at Sigurd. "How?"  
"Because he told me himself."  
"You know my brother!?"  
"Carnally." Sigurd gave her a wry, almost bitter smile. "Turns out, I'm your b-"

He cut himself off for only a split second.

"I'm your sister-in-law."

Everyone in the room stared at Sigurd, taking in his words. Suddenly, all four seemed to start talking at once.

"My... my brother is your husband?" Deirdre said slowly.  
"Duke Arvis is Deirdre's brother!?" Ethlyn said at a much louder and quicker pace.  
"Your husband has Loptyr blood!?" Eldigan exclaimed, looking shocked.  
"How the hell do you know this!?" Cuan asked the obvious question.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but Azel was staring at you when he first met you in the forest." Sigurd explained. "He said you looked familiar, but he knew that he'd never met you before."

Deirdre nodded, indicating that she _had_ noticed.

"Then when I met Lord Filat at Anphony, he told me about Prince Kurth's affair with Lady Cigyun, my mother-in-law."  
"Affair...?" Ethlyn raised her eyebrow curiously.

After spending a few seconds thinking about it, however, her eyes grew wide as she stared at Deirdre.

"Don't tell me..."  
"Yes." Sigurd nodded. "I think Deirdre is Lady Cigyun's child with Prince Kurth. That would make her our princess."  
"The Royal Family of Grannvale inherited the power of Saint Heim..." Deirdre whispered, her hands shaking as they moved toward her circlet. "If I'm the prince's daughter, then... My birthmark..."

When she removed it, all four could clearly see a mark on her forehead. Sigurd recognized it as the same mark that Prince Kurth had on his right forearm.

"Well I'll be damned." Cuan shook his head. "No one in the village recognized the mark?"  
"None of the villagers had ever seen the mark of Saint Heim." Deirdre shook her head. "When it appeared on my forehead, they were afraid that it was sign, a warning that there were two people bearing Loptyr blood in the world, or perhaps a marker from a Loptyrian Sect to seek out those with Saint Maira's blood. I've kept it covered up ever since."

Even when Sigurd and Deirdre had been married, Deirdre only removed her circlet at night when it was too dark for Sigurd to see. If he had realized who she was before everything went to hell, how differently would things have turned out? 

"That doesn't explain how you knew she was Lady Cigyun's child." Eldigan cut through Sigurd's thoughts.  
"Her portrait still hangs in the hall at Velthomer." Sigurd explained. "She looks a lot like her."

Eldigan nodded, then paused.

"So, what does this have to do with what's going on now?" He finally asked.  
"I think that the Loptyr Sect is manipulating King Azmur." Sigurd sat down and had a sip of tea, which had grown cold by now. "They probably kept tabs on Lady Cigyun, and when she fled, they probably realized that she was pregnant and figured out that she'd had a daughter."  
"And the daughter of the Crown-Prince, at that." Ethlyn nodded. "No doubt they'd love to have their leader on the throne."  
"That's just conjecture, though." Eldigan shook his head. "We don't know for sure that they know about Deirdre, or even that they're the ones manipulating the king."  
"Lord Filat also told me of some _interesting_ rumors." Sigurd chuckled humorlessly. "Did you know that the three of us are conspiring against King Azmur?"  
"What." Eldigan and Cuan both gave him blank looks.  
"Yeah, it was news to me, too." Sigurd gave them a bitter look. "Apparently taking in Prince Shanan helped spark those rumors."  
"Because obviously the six year old prince will be useful in overthrowing your king." Eldigan groaned.  
"And obviously Leonster doesn't have enough on its plate dealing with Thracia, we need to overthrow one of our closest allies." Cuan declared sarcastically. "Who the hell spread those rumors?"  
"Duke Reptor and Duke Langobalt, from what I've heard."  
"From Freege and Dozel?"

Sigurd explained that neither men had ever liked that Prince Kurth was close to his father, and that they were likely afraid that they'd lose their positions once Prince Kurth took the throne.

"So who's helping them manipulate the king?" Ethlyn asked.  
"Arvis, most likely."  
"Your husband." Eldigan stared at Sigurd for a few seconds before slumping down in his seat. "...I suppose it makes sense. The Loptyrians would need an inside man and if they knew he was Cigyun's son, they'd know about his Maira blood, so blackmail would be simple."  
"Assuming he's being blackmailed, of course."  
"That's a rather cynical thing to say about your husband, Lady Sister." Ethlyn stared at him in surprise. "Even before you got married, you said that Duke Arvis was a good, if somewhat distant man. I think it's a safe bet that he wouldn't willingly conspire against King Azmur or Prince Kurth."  
"If you say so." Sigurd gave a small scoff.  
"So what's the plan?" Cuan spoke up. "We obviously need to get Deirdre to Belhalla, but there's a good chance that it's being watched by Loptyrians. Plus, your orders specifically said you could not leave without permission from the king."  
"And normally, I'd be fine with charging right in, but..." Sigurd glanced at Ethlyn, who was now glaring at him. "I can't exactly do that in my current condition."  
"Current condition?" Eldigan raised an eyebrow at him.  
"I'm... pregnant."

It felt strange, saying those words aloud. It felt almost as though he was finally acknowledging the state his body was in.

Eldigan's eyes grew wide.

"I wish there was a way to preserve this moment." Ethlyn sighed. "I've been trying to get you to acknowledge that for weeks!"  
"Wait, if Arvis is the father-" Cuan began.  
"Of course he's the father!" Sigurd protested without meaning to.  
"Then isn't there a risk that your child will inherit Maira blood?"  
"I don't think so." Sigurd shook his head. "If Arvis only had minor Fala blood, it would be a risk, but he and I both have major holy blood. I suspect the child will come out with either major Baldur or Fala blood, with the minor blood being the other type."  
"Have you told him yet?" Eldigan asked quietly. "Your husband."  
"I-" Sigurd paused. "No. I... haven't really wanted to admit it to myself, let alone him. But I'm about three -no, four months in now... I guess it's time to tell him."  
"When was the last time you heard from him?"

There had been a messenger at Evans with a letter explaining that Arvis had made it back to Belhalla safely, but so far Sigurd had received no reply to the letter informing him that he'd made it through Verdane.

"I probably should let him know." Sigurd placed his hand on his stomach. "It's his child, too, after all."

More importantly, the child could still be Seliph. Surely the possibility of getting to see his son again made it worth bearing the child of the man who killed him, right?

Perhaps, but it didn't really matter if Sigurd was okay with it or not.

 

For the time being, Sigurd's group decided to remain stationed at Agusty. Sigurd informed everyone in his army about what had been discussed at Nordion, leaving out the fact that Deirdre's mother was Arvis's mother. The only ones he told about that were Azel and Adean. Azel was upset at the thought that his brother might be working with Loptyrians, but Ethlyn was adamant that he was likely being blackmailed. Sigurd sent a letter informing Arvis that he would soon be a father. He almost included what he'd learned about Deirdre, but Cuan advised against it, in the event that their mail was being monitored.

He received no reply.

A month later, Sigurd politely thanked the messenger from Belhalla and returned to the castle.

"Still no answer?" He turned to see Azel watching him.  
"Not for you or for me." Sigurd shook his head.

Azel had sent a letter to Arvis informing him of his marriage to Adean, but hadn't received word since. Sigurd understood that Arvis hadn't been happy that Azel had run off originally, but it didn't make sense for him to just ignore a letter like that, even the first time Sigurd had gone through this. It made even less sense this time, seeing as Arvis had actually gone with Azel.

"I could tell by the look on your face." Azel admitted sheepishly. "I know you really miss my brother."

Sigurd wanted to protest, but said nothing and allowed Azel to think whatever he wanted. Instead, he gave a small smile and said that Azel was probably the most worried.

"After all, you've gotten so close these past couple years."  
"We have." Azel nodded. "And we have you to thank for it. That's one of the reasons I'm so worried about you. You're starting to show, and you haven't heard from my brother since before we finished up in Verdane."  
"Yes..." Sigurd looked down at his belly, which was indeed beginning to show obvious signs of growth.  
"So, have you decided what we're going to do about Deirdre?" Azel, noticing Sigurd's discomfort, decided to switch to a different topic.  
"I... was thinking of sending Cuan and Ethlyn back to Leonster and having them take Deirdre to Belhalla on the way."  
"I'm guessing that plan got shot down." Azel sighed. "Once Lady Ethlyn gets in a fight, she won't give up."  
"Try living with her." Sigurd snickered.  
"Say..." Azel got a thoughtful look on his face. "I know Adean is meeting Ethlyn and Deirdre for tea here shortly. Maybe you can discuss more ideas if you join them?"

Sigurd had never been one for intruding on his younger sister meeting with friends, but he had to admit it was a rather sound idea. Not to mention that his current condition made it easier for him to avoid standing out.

He asked Azel where Adean was.

 

As it turned out, there was a surprise fifth guest at their gathering: Grahnye.

"What are you doing here?" Sigurd asked, stunned.  
"I invited her." Deirdre spoke up. "She spoke to me as we were leaving Nordion last month."

Sigurd soon learned that Grahnye's grandmother had come from the Spirit Forest, though she was not a descendent of Saint Maira.

"My grandmother told me stories about the people she grew up with." Grahnye explained. "I thought it might be nice to surprise her with what I've heard about them from Deirdre the next time I visit home."

Oh, right. Grahnye was from Leonster.

Wait.

If Grahnye was from Leonster, she could escort Deirdre to Belhalla without suspicion if she were to return to Leonster. Indeed, once Chagall began to start trouble again, Eldigan had sent her and Ares to Leonster to spare them the fighting. And since Grahnye was unaffiliated with Sigurd, she could fly under the radar.

Sigurd needed to write Eldigan about this.

"By the way, Lady Sigrid..." Grahnye broke Sigurd out of his thoughts. "I heard that you and your husband are expecting a child soon. Congratulations."  
"Well, it's mostly me expecting the child." Sigurd gave a small laugh. "I'm not sure my husband even knows. I haven't heard from him in months."  
"I see." Grahnye seemed to frown slightly. "That's unfortunate. I hope things are alright."  
"Can't really say." Sigurd smiled bitterly. "I can never understand what that man's thinking."

The man had stopped responding to Azel's letters despite claiming that Azel was important to him. He had apparently proposed to "Sigrid" despite being known for his dislike of women. After a bit of a rocky start, he began making efforts to be a proper husband to "Sigrid", even opening up to "her" about his mother and Loptyr blood. After the two had a conversation about physical affection, he even made a point of showing it to "her", publicly at that. Sigurd gave a shudder as he realized that he was almost jealous.

When he was a child, he had made attempts to reach out to the young duke of Velthomer. He was only three years older than Sigurd, and yet he didn't seem to have any friends. Surely he must be lonely, he'd thought in his childhood innocence. His attempts went rebuffed, however; Arvis politely (yet coldly) declined his offers to become friends. At the time, Sigurd had thought he was a rather harsh person, but as he got older, he decided that that was just how Arvis was, and that he shouldn't hold a grudge.

Meanwhile, a chance meeting (albeit one arranged by Prince Kurth) was all that was needed to start a chain that led to "Sigrid" becoming Arvis's wife, and one that he clearly loved and trusted, at that.

Sigurd could only wonder if his arrival in this world had caused something in Arvis to change. He and "Sigrid" were obviously very similar in personality, but there were clearly some key differences, too. Could Arvis have sensed that his wife had changed, and begun to put distance between them?

The thought almost made Sigurd want to laugh. It figured that Sigurd's chance to make things right would end up setting things in motion for them to go as they had before.

Of course, this was all merely speculation.

"Lady Sigrid?" This time it was Deirdre's voice that dragged Sigurd from his thoughts. "I know you've been busy, so we haven't had much time to talk lately..."  
"Yes, you're right." Sigurd allowed himself to smile at her. It was just like Deirdre to take his mind off of unpleasant things. "We really should take advantage of it today. Was there something you'd like to ask me about?"

Deirdre got a small, embarrassed blush on her face.

"I grew up as an only child, so I don't really know what it's like to have siblings, so... I was hoping I could ask you about my brother."

Ahh... Of course that was what she wanted to talk about. Of course.

"Haven't you... talked about this with Azel?" Sigurd answered slowly. "He's Arvis's actual brother."

He was the man who stole you away, Sigurd thought to himself. He wouldn't even let me speak to you when I saw you again after over a year away from you.

He didn't say that out loud, of course.

"A little bit." Deirdre nodded. "But it sounds like he's a rather subdued person, so there are things that even Sir Azel doesn't know. You're his wife, so surely-"  
"Like I said, I can't understand what that man is thinking!" Sigurd cut her off. "He's a man who will indulge his wife's little requests and bond with his brother, but won't even send a letter to acknowledge that he knows that he and his brother are both going to be fathers soon!"

Eyes went wide at Sigurd's outburst, and all but Adean looked away uncomfortably. Adean's words, however, brought them back.

"Sigrid... How?" She asked, stunned. "How do you know? I haven't even told Azel yet!"

That briefly took the spotlight off of Sigurd.

"Wait... you're pregnant!?" Ethlyn gasped, comprehension dawning on her.  
"Well, I strongly suspect that I am." Adean admitted. "I haven't seen a healer yet, but my cycle is late."  
"How exciting!" Deirdre exclaimed.  
"So how did you know, Lady Sigrid?" Grahnye turned her gaze back to Sigurd. "You sounded pretty certain."

Sigurd's mind reeled. How was he going to get out of this?

"I-I guessed." He said, unable to think of a better excuse. "In my most recent letter, I told Arvis that I thought you might be pregnant."

That part, at least, was true. Sigurd had thought that perhaps learning that he would soon be an uncle might help if the news had come from Sigurd, if Azel hadn't been able to get him to respond.

"It must have spiralled into "you _are_ pregnant" in my mind."

That part was not. Sigurd knew for a fact that Adean was indeed pregnant with her son, Lester. In a few months, Adean would meet her sister, Briggid. A short time after that, Adean would give birth to her son in Sailane Castle, conceiving her second child shortly after. Indeed, most of the women in the army would give birth to their first children in Sailane. Or rather, that was how Sigurd remembered things going before. 

And at the rate things were going this time, it was likely going to go that way again.

It was an upsetting thing to think about, certainly, but it hardly warranted bursting into tears.

"I'm sorry." Sigurd choked out.  
"Lady Sister, get a hold of yourself!" Ethlyn gave an exasperated sigh.  
"N-No, I'm the one who should apologize!" Deirdre shook her head. "I heard you say that you didn't know what your husband was thinking, but I still asked about him!"  
"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." Grahnye shook her head.

Ethlyn excused herself and escorted Sigurd back to his room, instructing him to get some rest.

"You've been under a lot of stress lately." She said. "If you get overwhelmed, it's bad for both you and the baby. Take some time to relax this evening."

Sigurd thanked Ethlyn and allowed himself to collapse onto the bed. She was right, of course.

He placed his hand on his belly. He'd loved to place his head near Deirdre's belly as Seliph grew. That he was now growing inside of the man who had been his father was one of the strangest things about Sigurd's circumstances.

Of course, he had no way of knowing whether the child would even _be_ Seliph. For all he knew, the child was a completely separate being from his son. It would make sense, given that the child's father was Arvis.

Sigurd wondered if Arvis would place his head by "Sigrid's" belly if he were there. Would "Sigrid" have allowed him to? Would she have allowed him to touch her, he thought to himself.

"What would you have done, I wonder..." Sigurd mused as he rolled onto his side.

Come to think of it, he wondered, what happened to "Sigrid" anyway?

He understood that "Sigrid" was clearly a real person with memories of "her" own. Now that Sigurd was in "her" body, he could only wonder where "she" was. Had "she" been pulled into Sigurd's true body? Did "she" simply disappear? Neither of those thoughts were very comforting.

Sigurd forced himself to stop thinking about it and go to sleep. Cowardly, perhaps, but the last thing he needed was more stress.

 

The four months building up to the day Sigurd gave birth were terrible.

He knew that Chagall was biding his time until he saw an opportunity to strike and not just because he'd been through it before; Now that he knew Chagall planned to attack from Madino, it was glaringly obvious that he was having troops station themselves not just at the castle, but the nearby villages. Sigurd understood why Eldigan had Grahnye leave just before Chagall ordered the attack. He may not have known when it would start, but he knew it would come eventually.

Sigurd waited until he heard Lachesis talking to Ayra about the possibility of Eldigan sending Grahnye to Leonster before he contacted him, asking to meet at Agusty to discuss the possibility of Grahnye taking Deirdre to Belhalla on the way to Leonster.

"Have you still not heard from your husband?" Eldigan asked, frowning. "You're due in the next couple months."  
"Afraid not." Sigurd gave him a bitter smile. "Even Azel hasn't heard from him."

Sigurd felt guilty for not noticing how worried Azel had been when his brother didn't respond to his letters. Because Azel was an illegitimate child, any children he had needed to be recognized by Velthomer's duke in order to be considered legitimate. In other words, Azel's children needed to be recognized by their uncle, and the man in question gave no indication he was even aware of their impending existence.

Not helping matters was the fact that Azel had taken on the burden of caring for Sigurd in his brother's place. He fussed over Sigurd and constantly asked if he needed anything. He was basically running himself ragged trying to take care of both Sigurd and Adean. Sigurd had practically had to order him to get some rest.

"I still don't understand what it is you see in him." Eldigan shook his head.  
"Let's get back to business, shall we?" Sigurd said curtly. "I heard from Lachesis that you're thinking of sending Grahnye and Ares to her parents' home in Manster."  
"I am." Eldigan admitted grimly. "I know you've been doing your best to keep the peace, Sigrid... But I fear war is on the horizon."  
"Yes." Sigurd nodded. "I can sense it as well. It's not safe for a child. I'm sure Ares will be much safer in Manster."  
"Now, I think I know what you're about to ask." Eldigan said quietly. "You want Grahnye to take Deirdre to Belhalla along the way."  
"If she agrees to it." Sigurd added. "I know that they've become friends, but it is still a risky move. One wrong move could put them in danger, and the last thing I want is for your wife and child to be endangered trying to help me."  
"You're a very kind person, Sigrid." Eldigan smiled softly. "Bold, but kind. I always... liked that about you."

There was something very tender in the way Eldigan smiled at him. Sigurd felt his face grow warm and he forced himself to look away, cursing his body.

He didn't understand why, but ever since he'd gotten stuck in his current body, he'd become more... aware of men. Their muscles, their hair, their voices... He could barely tear his eyes away from them. And ever since he'd gotten pregnant, it had gotten progressively worse. Just the other night, he'd been leaving the bath when he bumped into Lewyn, who had been about to take his.

Lewyn was rather nonchalant about being seen partially undressed by the opposite sex, so he hadn't said anything when Sigurd lingered after he took his shirt off. When he prepared to take his trousers off, however, he awkwardly asked Sigurd for a little privacy. Sigurd had been so mortified that he'd run off and locked himself in his room for the rest of the night.

Worse yet, every time those sorts of thoughts entered his mind, they inevitably turned to Arvis and the night that led to the conception of their child (could it even be called "their" child? This wasn't Sigurd's body, after all).

Sigurd hated thinking of Arvis, because he always ended up feeling like he missed him, which led to Sigurd feeling disgusted with himself for yearning for the man who'd killed him.

The other thing that made the passing months a nightmare was how Sigurd's body had changed.

Sigurd had known that his belly would grow as the due date approached, but he soon noticed that other parts of "Sigrid's" body were changing. The hips were growing wider and the breasts (which Sigurd had already thought were rather large) had grown bigger. Before Sigurd left the bath the night he bumped into Lewyn, he'd tried washing them, and liquid had come out of them.

Milk.

The body he was haunting was already producing milk for the coming baby. It almost made him sick, but it also felt completely natural at the same time, and that horrified him.

"Sigrid?" Sigurd was grateful that Eldigan was there to rouse him from his thoughts. "You aren't keeping any secrets from me, are you?"  
"Wh-what do you mean?" He asked.  
"I'm willing to help because it might end this conflict faster." Eldigan's voice gained a dangerous tone. "But if your plans end up threatening the stability of the Agustrian royal family, I will _not_ stand for it. Do you remember what I said the day you left Nordion all those months ago? If you break your promise, _we_ will break _you_."

Of course Sigurd remembered.

As a man, Sigurd took Eldigan's words as a sign of his dedication to uphold the image of Agustria's knights. The day he'd left Nordion, however, those words caused Sigurd to shudder. When he realized that it wasn't because of fear, Sigurd suddenly wanted to return to Agusty and never look back.

"And I know you would keep that promise if it ever came to it, Eldie." Sigurd nodded, looking down with a flushed face.

Eldigan, finally noticing how his choice of words came across, looked away in a mix of horror and embarrassment.

"I'll ask Grahnye about your plan tonight." He said before excusing himself.

A couple days later, Grahnye arrived at Agusty to inform Sigurd that she was agreeing to escort Deirdre to Belhalla in the event that Eldigan decided to have her sent to Leonster.

"In the event". Ha!

 

A month later, Grahnye arrived at Agusty once more with her son.

Deirdre tearfully said goodbye to her companions, hugging each and every one of them.

"Lady Sigrid, I'll be praying for your safety." Deirdre smiled at her warmly. "My brother and I will be waiting for you to return. Count on it."  
"Thank you, Deirdre." Sigurd smiled at her, but he still felt tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.  
"I'll see to it that she makes it there safely." Grahnye said firmly.  
"Please, make sure to take care of yourselves as well." Sigurd gently pleaded. "If at any point you feel your life is in danger, abandon the mission and make your way to Leonster as fast as you can."  
"If you say so." Grahnye sighed, but there appeared to be a smile forming on her lips. "I think I misjudged you, Lady Sigrid."  
"Huh?"  
"I thought you were a careless, foolhardy woman who charged right in with no regard for anyone else's feelings." Grahnye explained. "But now I think we have more in common than I originally thought."  
"I still don't-" Sigurd said, but Grahnye held up her hand to silence him.  
"In the event that I see your husband, I'll make sure to scold him." Grahnye declared. "He has a beautiful wife waiting for him despite his refusal to communicate with her. By the time I reach Belhalla, I wager that he'll also have a child waiting for its father to come see it."  
"And once I've properly introduced myself to my grandfather, I'll make sure to bring my brother back here so that we can introduce ourselves." Deirdre declared.  
"I... Thank you, Deirdre. Lady Grahnye."  
"And while I'm gone..." Grahnye glanced over at Eldigan before gesturing for Sigurd to lean closer so that she could whisper in her ear. "Please look after my husband and his sister, in... whatever ways you need to."  
"Of course!" Sigurd finally felt a single tear drip from one of his eyes. "I'll do everything I can to keep them safe!"  
"That's all I need." Grahnye smiled. "Thank you."

With that, the two women departed with the guards from Nordion. It was the last time Sigurd saw Grahnye.

A week later, Sigurd woke one morning feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen. The pain soon passed, but returned with increasing frequently throughout the day. Finally, as the sun as slowly beginning to dip on the horizon, Sigurd's water broke.

 

Sigurd knew that childbirth was painful. He remembered that Deirdre had nearly broken his fingers when she gave birth to Seliph. He knew that Adean had nearly done the same to Azel's. He remembered how he could hear Lachesis screaming even from downstairs. He remembered Sylvia's sobbing even after her daughter was safely out. He even remembered Ayra's threats to chop off Lex's balls so that it would never happen again.

(She'd sheepishly apologized after all was said and done)

But of course there's a difference between knowing and _knowing_.

When Sigurd first realized what was happening, he felt himself sink to the floor. He could barely raise his voice to call for help.

"I told you it was a bad idea to leave her alone!" He heard Ethlyn scold Cuan as he wrapped Sigurd's arm around his shoulder.  
"Easy there, Sigrid." Cuan ignored Ethlyn's scoldings and escorted Sigurd to his room before telling Ethlyn to fetch a midwife.  
"I-I can do it!" Ethlyn protested.  
"Can you?" Cuan gave her a hard look. "This is our niece or nephew we're talking about. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Ethlyn froze for a moment, and Sigurd remembered the day Seliph was born. Much like now, Ethlyn had insisted that she be the one to deliver the baby, but once she was preparing to start, her hands had suddenly begun shaking. Eventually, Sigurd had just called for Adean.

"Get Adean!" He shouted.

Not needing to be told twice, Cuan ran out of the room.

Looking somewhat hurt, Ethlyn moved to do the same.

"I want you to watch." Sigurd declared.  
"What?"  
"You've never acted as a midwife before. I don't want you to try this until you're sure you're ready. If something happens here, I don't want it on your conscience." Sigurd explained.  
"Lady Sister..." Ethlyn began to tear up.  
"Besides, someone's gotta act as Adean's midwife." He grinned at her.  
"Eheh..." Ethlyn gave a small chuckle. "Right!"

The labor ended up taking several hours. Even if Sigurd hadn't been horribly unused to labor pains, this was "Sigrid"'s first child, after all.

"The first child is always the worst." He remembered Ethlyn telling Lachesis when the latter had asked how painful childbirth was. Ethlyn then gestured to her stomach and said "The second should be easier. Hopefully."

Azel tried to hold Sigurd's hand when he arrived, but Cuan stopped him, telling him to save that for his own child. Sigurd nonetheless thanked him as he squeezed Cuan's hand as hard as he could. It was painful, but it felt bearable since he wasn't alone.

It felt like a relief when he felt the pressure of the baby's body leave his own. Even more so when the placenta was gone. Sigurd almost felt himself relax.

"Where is he?" He gasped, looking around the room.  
"He?" Adean gave him a puzzled look. "Cuan's right here. Azel, too."  
"My brother isn't here, Lady Sigrid." Azel shook his head sadly when Sigurd kept trying to look.  
"No, not him." Sigurd shook his head.

Finally, he saw apprehension dawn on Adean's face. She gave him a somewhat sad look.

"I'm sorry to say, Sigrid, but "he" doesn't exist." She said gently. "You're now the mother of a baby girl."

The only upside was that Sigurd was too weak to cry or scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first started this story, I figured it was going to be a straightforward retelling of FE4 with the only real changes being Sigurd being in a girl's body and aware of what will happen, but unable to really change anything (I did plan on Seliph being born female in this, though).
> 
> As I reached the second third of this chapter, I realized that that plan had gone completely off the rails. :D
> 
> Seriously, I did not plan for Grahnye to have anything but a small role. I didn't even plan on her and Deirdre becoming friends. It just happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it did, but it was not part of the plan.
> 
> As a completely and totally-unrelated-to-the-story aside, have any of you ever played the Zero Escape series? Specifically the third game, Zero Time Dilemma?


	4. Lionheart Eldigan (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigurd tries to adjust to having a daughter, but the looming threat of war with Agustria proves distracting. Confessions start being made, and some things may change, but perhaps not as much as Sigurd would like. And even the things that DO change aren't necessarily for the better.

He named her Celice.

That had been Sigurd's idea of what to name his and Deirdre's child if it had been a girl. Since Seliph had been a boy, the name went unused, but Sigurd thought it might be a nice name for a daughter they might have in the future, but that ended up not happening. And now, Deirdre wasn't even here to see her.

"Do you think she'll have the mark of Baldur or Fala?" Ethlyn asked her that afternoon.  
"I can't say." Sigurd replied mechanically.  
"You still seem a little out of it, Lady Sister." Ethlyn frowned.  
"Shall I look you over?" Adean gave him a concerned look.  
"No." Sigurd shook his head. "I think I'm still tired."

Breastfeeding was a foreign concept to Sigurd.

He'd known that his mother had breastfed him and Ethlyn (at least, up until she'd died), and he'd seen Deirdre breastfeed Seliph a few times before she'd disappeared, but he didn't really know much about it aside from walking in on a couple of the women in the army once or twice, and it hadn't been long enough for him to get an idea of how to do it.

Ethlyn was no help. Leonster's royal family used wet-nurses, so she had no advice to give Sigurd beyond "It's not exactly a difficult concept, Lady Sister."

It was true that the mechanics were rather simple, but Sigurd still had difficulty wrapping his head around the idea of doing it.

"Do you need help?" Sigurd turned to the doorway to see Ayra watching him.  
"I-it's not that I don't know how to do it." Sigurd shook his head. "I guess... it just hasn't hit me that I'm a mother yet."  
"Lady Sister, you haven't gone to the arena in months because you didn't want to put too much strain on the baby." Ethlyn scoffed. "You've been watching your diet to make sure you only eat foods that are good for unborn children, and when I placed Celice in your arms, you started sobbing that she was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen. You've been a mother for _quite_ a while now."

Had he? He couldn't remember much from right before he fell asleep. Everything turned into a blur after Adean told him he had a daughter.

"Is that the baby?" Sigurd noticed Shanan's head peeking around Ayra's waist.  
"Shh." Ayra shushed her nephew.  
"It's alright." Sigurd sat up and gestured for Shanan to come closer.

"She's really cute!" Shanan gasped, eyes growing wide. "How come she's making those weird noises?"  
"She's hungry." Sigurd gave him a forced smile.

Finally, he forced himself to untuck the right breast and allow Celice to take a meal.

"Yeah, like that." Ayra nodded. "Make sure you support the head."  
"Hmm?" Ethlyn gave Ayra a curious look. "Ayra, do you have children?"  
"No." Ayra shook her head. "When my brother's wife was pregnant, she would sneak into the rooms of the female servants as they nursed their children to get an idea of how to do it."

Ayra gave a small chuckle.

"My mother?" Shanan stared at her with wide eyes.  
"Yeah." Ayra's expression turned sad. "Your mother."

Crown-Prince Mariccle's wife had died in childbirth, if Sigurd was recalling correctly, and it had hit the Isaachian Royal Family very hard. King Mannanan had apparently been contemplating stepping down and having his son take the throne, but Mariccle had supposedly fallen into a depression and was in no place to rule, so Mannanan remained king. Prince Kurth attended the funeral as a courtesy.

Shanan looked at Sigurd.

"Where's Celice's father?" He asked. "I didn't have my mother, but I had my father."

The room grew uncomfortable.

"He's not here, Shanan."  
"Is he dead?"  
"No, but-"  
"So why isn't he here?"  
"That's... a long and complicated story, Shanan."  
"Then I'll be Celice's father!"  
"What?"  
"I'll marry you!" Shanan declared.  
"Shanan, you need to be quiet!" Ayra scolded.

For the first time in a long time, Sigurd felt himself laugh. This boy had been forced to flee the only home he'd ever known because of an unexpected war that took his father and grandfather. He had become tied to Sigurd's group by pure chance. Despite having every reason to hate Sigurd and his entire country, Shanan had never expressed any sort of distrust in anyone in the group. He even argued with Sigurd to be allowed to accompany Oifey and Seliph to Isaach.

"That's very kind of you, Shanan, but I'm still married." Sigurd choked out. "And even if Celice's father isn't here right now, they'll meet one day. So I can't marry you."

Shanan looked back and forth at Sigurd and Celice.

"Should I marry Celice when she gets bigger then?"

Ethlyn burst into hysterical laughter. Adean looked away, trying to contain her giggles. Ayra looked mortified.

"We'll... cross that bridge when we get to it." Sigurd smiled stiffly at Shanan as Ayra led him from the room, apologizing for her nephew's behavior.

"Well, I'm sure Celice will be beautiful when she grows up." Adean finally managed to calm down and smiled at Sigurd. "She'll probably have to beat off boys with a stick."  
"Of course she will." Ethlyn gave a haughty scoff. "With such a beautiful aunt, it's clear that good looks run in the family."  
"Yes, it would be nice if she took after Deirdre, wouldn't it?" Sigurd smiled.  
"Do you see what I put up with?" Ethlyn turned to Adean, pouting.

She leaned back for a moment before looking at Sigurd.

"Do you think they'll make it there safely?" She asked quietly.

It had only been just over a week since Deirdre and Grahnye departed; Sigurd harbored no illusions that they had already reached Grannvale safely. Even without the risk of the Lopytr Sect finding them, they needed to move slowly and cautiously. Deirdre and Ares both bore Brands of the Twelve Crusaders, and Deirdre was the only living heir of Prince Kurth. Either one of them would make a valuable hostage.

"Sigrid." Cuan knocked on the doorframe. "Eldigan's here."  
"I'm..." Sigurd gave a small groan. "I'm a little busy."

Cuan glanced into the room before looking away.

"Sorry about that. Call us when you're finished."

That made Sigurd's mood worse. While Eldigan was often rather awkward around Sigurd now that he was in a woman's body, Cuan treated him the same as he did when he was in his normal body. As the pregnancy progressed, however, Cuan began to treat him like he would a pregnant woman. Sure, that was how he appeared to Cuan, but it only served as yet another reminder that not only was he not in his own body, but that these were not truly the people he'd known and loved.

Or perhaps he was simply seeing another side to the people he loved. He couldn't say for sure.

Sigurd felt Celice let go and looked down. The newborn was curling into her blanket, yawning.

"Ah... I think she's done."

Adean stood up to let Cuan and Eldigan know it was alright to come in, but they walked in on their own, having heard Sigurd. Sigurd quickly covered his chest and lifted Celice up.

"All right, tiny." He chuckled. "It's time to meet your godfather."

In addition to vowing to always have each other's back, the three of them had also promised to look after each other's family in the event that anything happened. When Altena was born, Cuan asked Sigurd to be her godfather. Once Sigurd had gotten married, Ethlyn asked Deirdre to be her godmother once the situation with Agustria cleared up.

Eldigan had jokingly acted hurt, but asked Cuan to be Ares's godfather a few months later.

"And yes, Sigurd, I will be the godfather to your child when and if you have one." He'd grinned at him, having put emphasis on the "if" to remind Sigurd that he was the odd man out.

Even when the tensions in Agustria had nearly reached their boiling point, Eldigan had still made a point of showing up to introduce himself. For just an afternoon, everyone was able to forget that there was a good chance that they'd be going to war soon.

"Hello there, Celice." Eldigan gently took Celice into his arms. "I'm sorry it's just me today. Your godmother had to go home for a little while."  
"But with any luck, she'll be back soon!" Ethlyn piped up, glaring at Eldigan. "And she might even bring your aunt and papa with her!"  
"No need to get angry, Ethlyn." Sigurd rolled his eyes. "I doubt Celice even knows what he's saying."  
"You're no fun." Ethlyn pouted at him.

For a couple hours, the group chatted about Celice. Others popped in for a few minutes, and at some point Adean slipped out to help with dinner.

"Hey, once the kids grow up, do you think Ares will go for Altena or Celice?" Cuan joked as he nudged Eldigan with his elbow.  
"I can't really say." Eldigan shook his head. "If relations between our nations keep deteriorating, the children will be lucky to even meet."

And just like that, the mood in the room dropped.

"You always have to be the one to do that, don't you?" Cuan groaned.  
"I mean, he's right." Sigurd shrugged. "Worst case scenario, they meet on opposite sides of a battlefield."  
"Sigrid, what the hell!?" Cuan demanded. "This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life! But here you and Eldie are talking like the world's going to end!"

That spawned an argument between Eldigan and Cuan. Ethlyn pushed them both out of the room when Celice began whimpering. While that was happening, Lewyn slipped in.

"So how are things in Belhalla?" He asked. "Any word on how things are going?"  
"From my husband or...?"  
"I mean the rumors regarding your plotting against King Azmur."  
"As far as I can tell, things are calm right now, but I doubt they've been quashed, particularly since Prince Kurth still hasn't sent word back." Sigurd shook his head.  
"What about your father?" Lewyn paused while Sigurd shook his head. "Duke Ring?"  
"None. I suspect that all three are MIA."

Indeed, there was a good chance that Prince Kurth was already dead, given that in just a couple months Sigurd was going to learn that his father had been framed for the assassination. He didn't know what his father was doing at the moment, but the next time they would meet would likely be when his father was at death's door. He didn't know when Duke Ring had been (or would be) killed, only that it had happened at the hands of his own son.

"Don't get discouraged." Lewyn, noticing Sigurd's expression, piped up. "You'll make your daughter sad."  
"Heh." Sigurd gave a wry chuckle. "You're right. Celice hasn't even met her grandfather yet, and here I am talking like he's dead."  
"That's what I'm talking about." Cuan spoke from the doorway. "We need to stay positive. Any day now we'll get word from Grahnye and Deirdre that they made it to Belhalla safely. And then you're gonna hear from your husband and he's gonna meet his daughter and it's gonna be great."

He looked away.

"Just... Just _please_ cheer up!" He pleaded. "You've been miserable for months!"

Sigurd stared at Cuan for a moment before looking away.

"I-I'm sorry." He stammered. "I didn't realize how I've been coming off. Have I really looked that unhappy?"  
"Lady Sister, do you remember when you cried that Celice was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen?" Ethlyn stepped into the room. "That was the first time I'd seen you smile, really _smile_ , in _weeks_! It's not like you at all."  
"I'm sorry." Sigurd apologized again. "I guess I've just been worried about everything going on. I didn't mean to worry you."  
"It'll be okay, Lady Sister." Ethlyn sighed, but she was smiling. "It'll all turn out okay."

Sigurd smiled, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't true.

 

Two weeks later, they received word from Grahnye that she and Deirdre had arrived. Not in Belhalla as they'd planned, nor in Velthomer, as had been their backup plan in the event that the Loptyr Sect had Belhalla covered.

"Chalphy, huh..." Cuan sighed as he shook his head. "I have to admit, that's actually a smart move."  
"I _did_ tell Grahnye that she would always be welcome at Chalphy." Sigurd laughed. "I never thought she'd take me up on it."

As the husband of Chalphy's heiress, Arvis was expected to handle Chalphy's affairs when his wife was unable to. The people of Chalphy Castle were all fairly competent and didn't normally require management even from Sigurd or his father. This also held true for "Sigrid", so Arvis rarely had to go to Chalphy. Since the Loptyr Sect would also likely be watching Velthomer, it stood to reason that the safest place to meet would be Chalphy. Since Sigurd and his father were both gone, they likely wouldn't have anyone watching it. Furthermore, it would be fairly easy to send a letter asking for Arvis's assistance without him suspecting a trap or arousing the suspicion of the Loptyr Sect.

Indeed, that appeared to be exactly Grahnye's plan. The Bishop residing at Chalphy, Palmarch, was going to compose a letter requesting Arvis's help for a dispute involving two villages near Chalphy. Once he was brought up to speed, they would have him take Deirdre to Belhalla to meet King Azmur.

"Isn't that risky?" Sigurd noted. "What if Arvis turns her over to the Loptyr Sect?"  
"The Loptyr Sect's primary goal is to produce a new vessel for Loptyr." Cuan shook his head. "The only way they can do that is by having two people descended from Saint Maira produce a child together, and I don't think your husband is going to go hopping into bed with his own sister once he learns the truth."

The letter also mentioned that Ares's Brand had surfaced while they were on the road.

"I didn't know that Ares's Brand hadn't appeared yet." Sigurd noted. "Was that something Eldie was worried about?"  
"I know that Lord Brother had faith that Ares's Brand would surface eventually, but I think Lady Sister worried about it." Lachesis gave a shrug. "I don't know why, though."

Eldigan was called to Agusty to be brought up to speed.

"Once Deirdre is brought before King Azmur, Grahnye will depart for Leonster, then?" Eldigan asked as he took his cloak off.  
"Yes." Sigurd nodded. "I had hoped that she would take Deirdre to Belhalla as soon as possible, but they ended up going to Chalphy to meet my husband."  
"What about you?" Eldigan asked. "I suspect that my liege will soon launch an attack to re-take Agusty. Will you attempt to leave and return to Chalphy?"

Sigurd bit his lip, remembering this conversation.

Shortly before Chagall had launched the attack, Eldigan had come by to warn Sigurd of what he had planned and advised Sigurd to leave as soon as he could in the hopes of preventing any more bloodshed. After all, if Chagall's troops marched into Agustria's castle and found only their fellow Agustrians, there was no risk of an international incident where Grannvale could claim that Chagall had violated the one-year agreement. Unfortunately, Eldigan didn't know when the attack was supposed to come, so Sigurd's group had waited to leave until the day the attack began. If the time-frame was the same, they only had a week before it started, which wasn't enough time for Sigurd to request permission to return home. 

Not only that, but Adean's sister was still in Orgahill, and once Sigurd left, it was unlikely that the Agustrian people would be happy to see him return, which would make retrieving her rather difficult.

"I can't say." He admitted. "I don't want to fight the Agustrian people any more than I have to, but I'm not sure Chagall will let us leave without a fight. Even if we began preparing to leave right now, it would take a couple days for us all to be ready."  
"I see." Eldigan nodded, sounding concerned. "I can try to keep things smoothed over at Silvail, but I suggest that you hurry and begin preparing to leave."

Sigurd nodded, and the conversation was dropped until after dinner, when Eldigan was preparing to depart.

"I'm sorry about all this, Eldie." He said quietly. "You're only in this mess because of that stupid promise we made together."

He'd said this before, so it should have been fairly simple to get through the conversation.

"The promise we made is hardly "stupid", Sigrid." Eldigan lightly scolded him. "And I'm not doing this for you because of the promise."  
"Why do you say that?" Sigurd frowned.

Eldigan, too, was saying the same things he had before. When Sigurd had asked why he wasn't trying to keep things smoothed over because of the promise, he'd said that it was because he didn't want to bring more grief to his people than had already been brought. Sigurd knew that was true, but he could also sense that there was something else that Eldigan wasn't telling him. He hadn't pressed the issue before, but this time...

"Because I don't want to bring more grief to my people than has already been brought." Eldigan replied.

That was the answer Sigurd had expected, but he decided to put more pressure on him this time.

"Is that really the only reason?" He asked, and he noticed Eldigan flinch slightly. "Would you have told Cuan the same thing?"

Sigurd saw Eldigan's shoulders sink. He stepped closer to listen to Eldigan's answer.

"No, I wouldn't have gone as far as I have for Cuan."  
"What!?" Sigurd was outraged. "He's our best friend! Why wouldn't you-"  
"Tell me, Sigrid, do you remember why I always looked unhappy when I saw Cuan and Ethlyn together?" Eldigan was finally starting to sound agitated. "Why I always looked miserable when I saw the way she looked at him?!"

Come to think of it, he did. As Ethlyn began to grow closer to Cuan, they spent more and more time together. Though Eldigan never said anything to either of them about it, Sigurd noticed that he always looked away when they had a moment. He'd teased him, saying that if he wanted to pursue a relationship with Ethlyn, he needed to move fast or Cuan would steal her away. Eldigan made no attempts to court Ethlyn, however, and she soon became engaged to Cuan. Shortly after that, Eldigan had become engaged to Grahnye, but Sigurd suspected that it had been arranged by their parents.

"For that matter, did you notice how I-" Eldigan tried to continue, but Sigurd cut him off.  
"Be-Because of Ethlyn!?" Sigurd struggled to keep from raising his voice too much. "You would withhold support for him because you still haven't moved on from her!?"

Finally, Eldigan turned around and gave Sigurd a strange look.

His eyebrows were furrowed, his jaw was dropped, and his eyes seemed to be surprised and unsurprised at the same time.

"You know what?" He said, shaking his head. "Forget it. You clearly don't understand what I'm trying to say."

He climbed onto his horse and left Sigurd with only a few parting words.

"Like I told you, I'll try to keep things calm at Silvail, but you need to hurry. Good night, Sigrid."

And he was gone. Sigurd turned around, disgusted, only to see Ethlyn and Cuan had been listening from the doorway. Oddly, both of them were wearing expressions similar to the one Eldigan had been wearing when he turned around.

"H-How long have you-"  
"It's fine, Sigrid." Cuan held up his hand. "I know. I've known for a long time."  
"You knew!? And you were okay with it!?"  
"Because I know why."  
"You're fine with the idea that your best friend, who promised that he'd always have your back, might one day break that vow because he's in love with your wife?"  
"No." It was not Cuan, but Ethlyn who answered. "No, no, no!"

Ethlyn rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"That's _not_ what Eldigan was trying to say, Lady Sister." Ethlyn shook her head. "He was saying that he wouldn't go as far to help Cuan in a situation like _this_ , where Cuan is occupying his country, like we're doing now. You promised that you'd always have each other's backs, but this situation is kind of our fault."  
"I can understand that." Sigurd nodded. "But why would he do all that he's done for me and not for Cuan? Because he still hasn't-"  
"And he's _not_ in love with me, Lady Sister!" Ethlyn snapped. "He has never been in love with me!"  
"Then why?" Sigurd demanded.

"It's not our place to say, Sigrid." Cuan shook his head sadly.  
"You'll have to ask him yourself." Ethlyn nodded in agreement.

Sigurd gave them a confused look, but made no further argument.

 

Despite Eldigan's best efforts, Chagall ordered the troops stationed at Madino to take back Agusty before Sigurd's group could depart. With a heavy heart, Sigurd ordered his group to prepare for battle.

"Shanan, I'm leaving you in charge of Celice." He knelt down so he and Shanan could see eye to eye. "Don't let anything happen to her, okay?"  
"I won't!" Shanan declared. "And I won't hand her over to anyone until you say it's okay!"  
"Thank you, Shanan. I believe in you."

Now that there was no risk of Deirdre being abducted while he was gone, Sigurd felt a little more at ease about how the situation with Madino might turn out.

Only a little, though. There was still the problem of how to keep Eldigan alive. Upon taking Madino, Chagall had ordered Eldigan's troops to re-tale both Madino and Agusty. Lachesis had been able to convince Eldigan to stand down, but that only led to Eldigan's execution when he returned to reason with Chagall one last time.

At first, Sigurd considered simply defending Agusty and not taking Madino Castle. But not only was that not guaranteed to work, it led to more problems.

Once Madino Castle had been taken, Father Claud of Edda arrived with Tailto in order to make the journey to Blaggi Tower. The only reason he'd been able to make it through was because Madino Castle had been under Grannvale control. If Sigurd didn't take the castle, Claud wouldn't be able to make it through and obtain the Valkyrie Staff.

The second issue was Briggid. After Chagall's defeat, the Orgahill Pirates decided to take advantage of the chaos surrounding Agustria to raid the nearby villages and mutiny against Briggid, who was the new leader. If Chagall didn't die, there was a possibility that they'd hold off on their mutiny, and thus Briggid would have no reason to leave, even if she learned of her heritage.

"Sigrid?" Sigurd felt Adean tap him on the shoulder. "Is something the matter? You're staring out the window. Are you worried about Madino, or..."

Adean looked out the window to see what Sigurd was looking at.

"You're looking at Orgahill?"  
"Y-Yeah." Sigurd nodded. "I guess I'm a little worried about the pirates."  
"Really?" Adean seemed puzzled. "I've heard that they're honorable pirates who not only give their steals to the poor, but even escort travelers."  
"Well, you never know when that might change." Sigurd smiled bitterly.

Adean got a thoughtful look on her face.

"Perhaps they'd be willing to help us?" She suggested.  
"What?"  
"If someone were to go to them offering a generous reward, some of them might be willing to help us defend those areas."  
"Adean... You're a genius!" Sigurd grabbed her by the shoulders. "You could have a member of Ferry's squad take you!"  
"M-Me?"  
"Lady Sigrid, what are you thinking!?" Sigurd looked away from Adean to see that Azel was watching them. "Honorable or not, they're still pirates and we have no way of knowing if they'll even agree!"  
"I wouldn't send her there alone!" Sigurd rolled his eyes. "I'd at least send you with her."  
"I still think it's a bad idea." Azel shook his head.

Sigurd paused, trying to think of an excuse.

"I-I confess, there's one more reason I'm worried about the Orgahill Pirates."  
"And that is?" Azel raised an eyebrow.  
"I've heard rumors that their captain died recently." Sigurd said slowly. "And that the new captain is a beautiful woman with long, golden hair and great skill with a bow."

That got Adean's attention.

"A-Are you sure!?" She demanded, grabbing Sigurd by the shoulders.  
"Yes!" Sigurd, surprised by the sudden reversal, nodded quickly. "It might be..."

Adean turned to look at Azel, who now looked resigned. If there was a chance the captain could be her sister, there was nothing that was going to keep her from pursuing it. The two made their way to the stables to meet with Ferry and her squad.

Come to think of it, Sigurd thought to himself, couldn't Ferry take Claud to Blaggi Tower?

The more Sigurd thought about that, the more the plan made sense. On a Pegasus, they'd be able to avoid the non-flying threats until they needed to land, and as far as Sigurd knew, Ferry hadn't run into any archers when he sent her to act as backup for Claud and Tailto when the pirates attacked. If they stayed away from Madino, there would be no need for them to head east to rendezvous with Sigurd's troops and they could simply return to Agusty.

On the downside, remaining at Agusty removed a fair bit of distance between them and the Grannvale troops that would come to arrest him for "treason". Of course, if Deirdre's plans went well, the troops might not even show up.

For now, Sigurd decided to have faith in Deirdre, and ordered his troops to surround Agusty and prepare to defend.

 

Chagall had clearly not expected Sigurd to remain where he was, but he was evidently not going to let his surprise ruin his determination to take back Agusty.

He began ordering small factions to aim for different parts of the castle in hopes of taking Sigurd off guard. But Sigurd's group remained steadfast and fought off any threat that came their way. The only ones not defending the castle were Azel and Adean, who had set off toward Orgahill with three members of Ferry's Pegasus Knight Squad. They had only needed two in order to make the trip, but the third Pegasus Knight, Tethi, was something of a paranoid sort and insisted on going with them in case the pirates tried anything. Not to mention that if the new captain _was_ Briggid, and she decided to return with them, they would need an extra pegasus.

Shortly after the battle began, Father Claud had arrived with Tailto in tow.

"You're defending Agusty and not attempting to take Madino?" Claud seemed surprised. "From what I've heard from King Azmur and Princess Deirdre, I'd thought it would be the other way around."  
"Princess Dei..." Sigurd gasped. "She made it!?"  
"Y-Yes." Claud seemed surprised. "I met her when the king summoned me to Belhalla. He hasn't made the announcement of her arrival yet, but she told me how you found her in the Spirit Forest."  
"I see. I'm glad." Sigurd smiled in relief. "And... what of my husband?"

He wanted to slap himself for feeling eager to hear about Arvis.

"Princess Deirdre _did_ tell me that Duke Arvis was her half-brother." Claud nodded. "It sounds like King Azmur is also aware."

Then there's no chance of Arvis marrying Deirdre, Sigurd thought to himself, almost wanting to collapse in relief.

Claud chuckled before mentioning that while he hadn't really spoken much to Arvis, Deirdre had asked him to inquire about Sigurd's newborn baby. Arvis had also told him that he and Deirdre were going to making their way to Agusty soon.

"Congrats, by the way." Sigurd turned around to see Tailto poking Celice's cheeks while Shanan eyed her cautiously.

"Is that the prince of Isaach?" Claud whispered. "I'd heard rumors that you'd taken him in, but..."  
"He and his aunt had gone to Verdane seeking asylum, only to be betrayed." Sigurd shook his head. "I had no idea who he was when I rescued him, and I have no intention of turning him over to Belhalla for interrogation. He's a child, and one who had his entire world collapse at that."  
"At ease." Claud raised his hand. "I am not accusing of you of anything. Even King Azmur doesn't truly believe that you or your father would conspire against him or Prince Kurth. The only reason he sent me at all was because Duke Reptor and Duke Langobalt continued to insist it was true and demanded he take action."  
"So you're on the way to Blaggi Tower, then." Sigurd declared quietly. "To see the truth in a vision?"  
"And perhaps obtain the Valkyrie Staff while I'm at it." Claud nodded solemnly. "After my sister ran away from home, my mother journeyed to the tower in hopes of finding out where she went."

Sigurd nodded. It had been quite a scandal when one of House Edda's children ran away from home. The ruler at the time, Duchess Caliga, went to the tower built by her ancestor in the hopes of receiving a vision of where her daughter was. However, Caliga returned to Edda without the Valkyrie Staff and took to her bed, dying a few years later. She never told anyone what she'd seen.

"Unfortunately, it might prove difficult to make my way there." Claud frowned. "If the attacking Agustrian troops are coming from Madino, then it's unlikely I'll be able to pass through."  
"I may have a solution for that." Sigurd grinned and called for Ferry.

When she arrived, Sigurd introduced them and explained why Ferry was needed.

"So you want me to escort Father Claud to Blaggi Tower?" She asked, wanting to make sure she understood her orders.  
"Yes." Sigurd nodded. "And once his business is finished there, escort him back."  
"I can do that." Ferry nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Father Claud."

Claud seemed concerned about putting her at risk when she had nothing to do with Grannvale, but agreed to let her escort him. Tailto seemed upset, but Sigurd simply asked her to help with fending off the Madino troops.

"I think Lewyn could use some help." He said, pointing in the direction the man in question was in.

After all the bad things that had happened since Sigurd woke at Chalphy in his current body, it felt nice to play matchmaker for a change. If nothing else, at least he was helping his friends find each other. Maybe it was a sign that things could change for the better.

Of course, things are rarely that simple, as Sigurd would soon learn.

 

Unfortunately, Chagall wasn't about to let all of his troops being defeated bring him down. Despite Sigurd's hopes, the remaining member of Ferry's squad, Misau, returned from scouting to inform him that Eldigan's Cross Knights were making their way to Agusty.

Was there really nothing Sigurd could do to save Eldigan? He'd done so many things differently, but _this_ was going to be a constant? Having to talk his best friend out of fighting to the death only to have him killed by his own king? It almost seemed preferable to kill Eldigan himself. That would at least spare Eldigan that last betrayal by his liege.

"Lady Sigrid, please!" Lachesis pleaded with him. "Let me go out there! I'm sure I can persuade him!"  
"Lachesis, wait!" Dew shouted, but Lachesis ignored him.  
"And what then!?" Sigurd snapped. "He tries to reason with Chagall one last time only to lose his head!?"  
"What?" Lachesis gave him a puzzled expression. "Why would-"  
"Chagall is completely unhinged!" Sigurd shouted. "He's not going to stop until he's completely annihilated us! Even if we left now, I've no doubt that he'd have Eldigan's troops pursue us!"  
"But surely my brother-"  
"No, he won't!" Sigurd's vision was growing blurry, but he didn't care. "He's caught up in his idea of what a knight is supposed to be, and nothing's going to convince him otherwise!"

"How do you know that!?" Lachesis began shouting back. "You _don't_! Now, are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me convince my brother to join our side!?"

Sigurd scowled, but followed Lachesis out of the castle gates to where the Cross Knights were still marching.

When they spotted the younger sister of their leader, they stopped. Eldigan rode around them to see what made them stop, only to freeze upon seening Lachesis.

"Lord Brother, please stop this senseless fighting!" Lachesis exclaimed. "What sort of knight betrays his friends!?"

Sigurd said nothing as Eldigan listened to Lachesis's pleas. Once Eldigan handed over the Earth Sword and was about to hand Lachesis the declared his intent to reason with Chagall once more, however, he could take no more.

"You can't!" He screamed. "Don't you understand, Eldie!? That man doesn't care what this fighting is doing to Agustria's people!"  
"She's right, Eldigan." Sigurd turned around to see Cuan riding up behind them. "A knight must serve his king, yes, but he also has an obligation to the people."  
"And Chagall knows that the people of Agustria love you." Ethlyn added. "He's used his status as King Imuka's son to rule, but he knows that the people won't put up with him forever."  
"If you're still alive, Agustria has a chance." Lachesis agreed. "And the people know it, too. But if you're dead, then Agustria is doomed."  
"If you go back to Silvail, Chagall will kill you. I'm _sure_ of it." Sigurd dismounted his horse and walked over to Eldigan, hugging him by the waist. "And I can't lose you. Not again."

Those last two words were muffled, so Sigurd was sure that Eldigan hadn't heard them.

Eldigan fell silent for a long time, but he finally placed his hands on Sigurd's shoulders and pushed him away. Sigurd looked up, afraid of what he was going to see in Eldigan's eyes.

"We..." Eldigan said slowly. "We will set up camp here for the night. We'll decide what our next step is in the morning."

Sigurd finally collapsed into tears, relief filling his heart.

"That won't be necessary, Lord Brother!" Lachesis protested. "I'm sure the people of Agusty Castle will be happy to house the Cross Knights!"

Sigurd didn't hear the resulting conversations. He barely registered Ethlyn pulling him up and leading him back to Agusty Castle. The only thing that mattered was that Eldigan was still alive and not going back to Silvail.

 

A few hours later, Sigurd walked to Eldigan's room as Lachesis was leaving with an oddly determined look on her face. Eldigan noticed Sigurd as he was preparing to shut the door, but greeted him instead.

"Are you settled in?" Sigurd asked, grinning at him.  
"At ease, Sigrid." Eldigan laughed as he let Sigurd in, shutting the door behind him. "It's not like I'm going to be staying long."

For a second, Sigurd thought he heard Eldigan put the latch on the door to lock it, but shrugged it off and decided to focus on what Eldigan had just said.

"It's not like you can return to Silvail." Sigurd quickly turned around, already on guard. "Chagall will kill you if you try to negotiate with him again, especially if he finds out we made a ceasefire."  
"You sound fairly certain of that." Eldigan wasn't facing him, so Sigurd couldn't see his face. "And while I was talking to Ethlyn earlier, she said something interesting."  
"Oh?" Sigurd asked. "What is it?"  
"I asked her where Adean was, and she said that you'd sent her and her husband to Orgahill to investigate the new leader of the pirates."  
"I did." Sigurd nodded. "I'd heard that the previous captain had died and was replaced by a blonde woman who had great skill with a bow. I thought it might be Adean's sister."  
"It's very interesting." Eldigan nodded. "You see, I'd heard that the previous captain had taken ill, but I had no idea that he was already dead."  
"I-I'm sure the rumors must not have reached you." Sigurd laughed nervously. "I heard at the very last minute."  
"And earlier, you said something strange." Eldigan still didn't turn around. "You said that you couldn't lose me "again". It was almost like you were speaking from experience."

Sigurd had no reply. His mind was reeling at how he was going to talk his way out of this.

"Speechless, are you?" Eldigan finally turned around, making sure that his body was blocking the door. "So why don't you tell me how you knew those things?"

"I..." Sigurd choked out. "I'm sure it's coincidence!"  
"Grahnye also mentioned that you figured out that Adean was pregnant a few months ago, even though it would have been too early to tell." Eldigan shook his head. "Twice is a coincidence. Thrice is more like a pattern."

He was staring at him suspiciously now.

"Sigrid." His voice was filled with ice. " _What are you hiding?_ "

"I-I can't tell you!" Sigurd shook his head. "You'd think me mad."  
"Try me." Eldigan raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, looking almost curious.

Sigurd glared at him, and it was almost as though something snapped.

"Alright then, Eldie." He scoffed. "For starters, I'm from the future. I knew that the captain was dead and that you'd be killed because I've been through it before! I also knew that once Briggid took over as the leader, they'd end up overthrowing her and she'd be forced to flee to Blaggi Tower!

"My "daughter" was supposed to be my son!" He continued. "Here in a few weeks, troops from Freege and Dozel are going to show up to arrest me for conspiring to kill Prince Kurth! Ferry's older sister is going to show up at Orgahill to offer us asylum in Silesse on Queen Rahna's behalf because Reptor's youngest daughter went to her and pleaded for help! Then, when I'm in Silesse, I'm going to find out my wife is married to the man who's eventually going to kill me!"  
"Wife...?" Eldigan gave him a puzzled look.  
"Yep." Sigurd nodded. "My wife, Deirdre. Because, get this: I'm a man!"

It felt oddly nice to rant about those things out loud. A pity it was surely going to backf-

"I see." Eldigan nodded, looking somewhat surprised and confused. "That's quite a story. But... I believe you."

**What?**

"You can't be serious." Sigurd shook his head incredulously. "I'm the one going through this and I can barely believe it myself!"  
"It's okay." Eldigan stepped toward him and pulled him into his arms. "I trust you."  
"I woke up in my bed the day Adean was taken." Sigurd buried his face into Eldigan's chest. "I was confused, but I couldn't say anything! It was too bizarre."  
"Thank you for telling me." Eldigan's voice grew soft. "I'm... happy that you've shared this secret with me."  
"I don't get it." Sigurd grumbled. "You're so strange. You tell me that you wouldn't have been as patient with Cuan if he'd been the one occupying Agustria, you stand down when I ask you to, and then I drop this insane story on you and you accept it without argument."  
"There's a reason for that."  
"Why?"  
"Well, for starters, I'm not in love with Cuan."  
"...What?" Sigurd looked up just in time to see Eldigan leaning down.

His lips were soft and warm. They weren't like Arvis's, which were firm and hot. But it felt... nice, nonetheless.

Sigurd felt his body pull Eldigan toward the bed. When he legs bumped against it, he fell backwards onto it, taking Eldigan with him. Eldigan didn't seem to mind, moving his mouth toward Sigurd's neck.

It felt... bearable. Good, even. If it were with Eldigan, perhaps Sigurd could...

No. **No.** _No._ _**No.**_ _**No!**_

He was _**not**_ going to do this. Sigurd had done a number of things since he arrived, but he was _**not**_ going to use my body to embrace a man that was not my husband.

"Stop!" Sigurd seemed to agree, because he finally protested.

Eldigan quickly pulled himself off of us, looking rather flustered.

"I-I'm sorry!" He looked away, face red. "You're right. I barely just let you know how I feel and..."  
"This is a big shock." Sigurd sat up and looked down. "I had no idea you felt that way about me. Or rather, her."  
"Heh." Eldigan sat down on the bed next to him. "Do you remember what I was saying the other night? About why looking at Ethlyn and Cuan made me unhappy?"  
"Y-Yes." Sigurd nodded. "What's your point?"  
"I hated seeing Ethlyn look at Cuan with eyes so full of love..." Eldigan looked away, and his voice turned soft. "I hated it because I wanted you to look at me the way she did him. She's your sister, so the way you look at the person you love would probably be very similar. Heh. I even went to your father begging for permission to court you."  
"It's not really "me" you wanted to look at you, Eldie." Sigurd laughed, deciding to ignore the fact that Eldigan had done the same thing even when Sigurd was in his normal body. "It was "Sigrid". My name is Sigurd."

Eldigan leaned over and looked at Sigurd with an unreadable expression.

"...What sort of person are you?" He asked, sounding curious. "I know you've been acting strangely lately, but not so strange that I thought you were an impersonator."  
"I'm guessing she's a lot like me, but I can't say for sure. Sometimes I can see some of her memories, but not all the time." Sigurd looked away. "Not only that, but I've felt strange ever since I ended up in this body."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I've never felt attracted to men before, but..." Sigurd blushed. "But lately I've caught myself... looking at them. No, _admiring_ them would be a better word. I've done it to you, Lewyn... I even caught myself staring at _Alec_ once or twice!"  
"I-I see."  
"I haven't been acting on it!" Sigurd protested. "I've only done it once since I got here."  
"With Duke Arvis?"  
"Obviously!"

Eldigan looked almost hesitant to ask his next question.

"Did you... enjoy it?"  
"I... yes." Sigurd admitted. "I found myself saying things I never thought I'd say. It was like I'd lost control over my own body."

**That makes two of us.**

"And then when he left, it's like..." Sigurd groaned. "It's been awful. I think about him multiple times a day, and it's always something that makes me miss him. He's the one who killed me as a man, and here I am wanting to see him."  
"Were the two of you close?"  
"Not at all. I tried to make friends with him as a kid, but he blew me off. I don't know how Prince Kurth convinced him to propose to Sigrid."

Eldigan gave him a strange look.

"What?"  
"You sound almost jealous."  
"I most certainly am not!" Sigurd defensively protested. "I don't know what he's thinking, and I bet Sigrid doesn't, either!"  
"Do you hate him?" Eldigan asked. "For killing you?"

Sigurd paused, unsure of how to respond. When he finally did, his voice was quiet.

"I don't know." He looked down at my hands. From the little I could see of Sigurd's memories, he could remember the buildup to his battle with Arvis at Belhalla, but the battle itself was little more than a haze. The only concrete thing he could remember from it was the sensation of burning, the heat surrounding him making him feel like he was on the sun, and the smell of burning flesh that he had only realized was his own after a few seconds. 

"I hadn't thought Arvis would stand up for me, but once I reached Velthomer, General Aida suddenly told me that Arvis was aware of my innocence and on my side all along. It was the first good news I'd gotten in weeks."  
"That doesn't sound good." Eldigan's expression grew concerned.  
"It's not." Sigurd gave him a bitter smile. "Let's just say that at that point, my only remaining family was my son, cousin, and my niece and nephew."

Eldigan's face grew alarmed, but he said nothing and gestured for Sigurd to continue.

"Anyway, I was happy to hear that someone in my homeland believed I was innocent. Growing up, I'd thought Arvis was something of a stick-in-the-mud, so for him to suddenly come to my aid made me think I'd misjudged him. Finding out that he'd tricked me and married the woman I loved..."

Sigurd clenched my hands into fists.

"When I found that Sigrid was married to Arvis, I was horrified, especially when he came with me to rescue Adean." He gave a shudder. "What if he asked about something I didn't have any memories of? What if he wanted to take me to bed? Could I really act the part of the wife of the man who killed me without arousing suspicion?"

Sigurd let out a sigh.

"As it turned out, I could. I was able to play off any suspicions anyone had of me. Any memories I didn't have suddenly came to me. And at Marpha, I was the one who asked Arvis to..." He cut himself off, face turning red. "But then, that led to new problems."

"Go on." Eldigan nodded.

"Not only did I... _enjoy_ having him touch me, but I've learned a lot of things about him." Sigurd stood and walked toward the window. "I didn't know about his relationship with his mother, why he and Azel were having trouble getting along, or just how _passionate_ he is about making Grannvale a place free of discrimination. I've caught myself feeling sympathy and even _admiration_ for the man."

Sigurd began hugging himself. Eldigan looked away, lost in thought. Though it was somewhat comforting to consider that Eldigan might be trying to think of a way to reassure Sigurd of what he was afraid of, he and I both knew what sort of conclusion Eldigan was going to come to.

"Sigurd..." If not for what Eldigan was about to say, Sigurd would have been cheered up to hear his name leaving his friend's mouth, but the grim expression on Eldigan's face told him that what Eldigan was about to say wasn't going to be reassuring. "It... does sound like you're in-"  
" _Don't_." Sigurd shook my head and looked down at the floor. "I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it."  
"Then you already know what it is you're feeling?"  
"No." Sigurd protested again. "No, no, _no_. I don't know what it is I'm feeling, but it can't be love. It just can't."  
"Because he killed you?"

" **Because I don't want anyone to replace Deirdre in my heart!** " Sigurd finally looked up, tears filling my eyes.

"Sigurd..."  
"I don't know why I felt so strongly about her after only a single meeting, but I knew I wanted to be with her forever. And she felt the same!" Sigurd laughed bitterly as tears began to streak down my cheeks. "When I left for Madino, I insisted that she stay behind to look after both Seliph and Agusty Castle. If I'd known that it would be the last time I would see her when she was still my wife...

"Then I meet her again in this body and I can't feel _anything_ for her!" He sobbed. "I know that I still love her, but I don't want to make love to her anymore. Instead, I get to spend my nights yearning for the touch of the man who killed me!?"

Sensing that Sigurd was about to collapse, Eldigan stood up and wrapped his arms around us. When Sigurd murmured his name, he released his grip slightly and looked down at Sigurd.

"Eldie..." Sigurd looked up, eyes full of desperation. "Fuck me."

Eldigan blinked, unsure if he was hearing Sigurd correctly. Indeed, I had my doubts about whether or not Sigurd truly used my voice to say those words myself.

"I'm tired of dreaming of Arvis's touch." He explained. "I'm tired of not knowing for sure if he really loves me."

What? Sigurd has no reason to care about that. In fact, there is no reason why he should even know about it. Why would he-

"But you..." Sigurd wrapped my arms around Eldigan's shoulders, pressing my body against his. "I know that _you_ care about me, or at least Sigrid. Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"

Eldigan stared at Sigurd for a few seconds before shaking his head. Thank goodness.

"Sigurd, if we go through with this, I have no doubt that we'll both regret it as soon as we're done." He said firmly. "In fact, I'm glad you stopped me earlier."

He gently lifted my left hand. The ring Arvis gave me shone under the light of the moon.

"Like it or not, Sigrid is Arvis's wife. And I'm Grahnye's husband. Even if I haven't been able to love her in the way I promised, I know that she has never strayed. It wouldn't be right for me to betray her like that. Besides, I already know you don't love me."

Before Sigurd could speak, Eldigan gently stopped him with his finger.

"I don't know if the person in your heart is Deirdre or Arvis or both, but I don't want to sleep with you under false pretenses." He whispered, stroking my cheek. "I want to be the only person you think of."  
"...That's true." Sigurd conceded. "And it wouldn't be right to use Sigrid's body to commit infidelity, especially with what happened to her husband's parents."

Indeed. My husband was determined to not be like his father. He has by now learned that his mother had indeed had an affair. For his wife to hop into bed with another man (even without all of that) would be like spitting in his face.

"Plus, I already told you I was a man." Sigurd laughed. "That's got to put a hamper on things."  
"Hmm..." Eldigan smiled as he hummed to himself. "No, I don't think it would be. Even if you were in a male body..."  
"What?"  
"Nothing." Eldigan shook his head. "Are you feeling better?"  
"Somewhat." Sigurd nodded. "I'm still conflicted about a lot of things, and not just Arvis."  
"I understand. Perhaps it might help to sleep on it?"  
"I think you may be right. Thank you, Eldie."  
"Good night, Sigurd."

Sigurd departed Eldigan's room and returned to his own. After checking on Celice, he changed into his sleepwear. As he was preparing to climb into bed, however, a knock came at the door. A rather frantic one, in fact.

"Lady Sister!" Ethlyn didn't bother waiting for Sigurd to answer and rushed in. "Tiarca's returned from Orgahill!"  
"Just Tiarca?" Sigurd frowned as he stood up. "What about-"  
"The pirates heard Adean and Azel talking to their leader!" Ethlyn exclaimed. "Now they're being held hostage!"  
"What!? Why?"  
"When Lady Adean went to speak with the new leader, some of them were eavesdropping and learned that she and Sir Azel were nobility." Tiarca, who was right behind Ethlyn, spoke up. "It... also sounds like they were thinking about mutinying against their new leader. She's a hostage, too. They're demanding 10,000 Gold per person."  
"What about Sesanva and Tethi?"  
"They were nearly killed trying everyone out of there. Last I saw, Lady Adean was looking after them. I thought I was lucky to get away, but now that I think about it..." Tiarca looked down at her feet. "I'm guessing they wanted me to be the messenger. I'm so sorry, Lady Sigrid."

Sigurd's mind was spinning. How could the mutiny have started before it was supposed to?

"Tiarca, did you hear the conversation between Adean and the leader?"  
"No, all of us gave Lady Adean privacy to talk to her, but..." Tiarca shook her head again. "I got a glimpse of the leader as Lady Adean went into her room. She... looked a lot like Lady Adean. I think she really might be her sister. And I think the pirates came to that conclusion, too. When we first arrived, a lot of them were staring at Lady Adean rather strangely, and not in a way that looked like they were thinking anything inappropriate."  
"I see." Sigurd nodded. "They realized that their leader was likely nobility and thus, a good hostage. Dastards!"  
"Cursing them won't help now, Lady Sister." Ethlyn scolded. "I know the plan was to find a way to deal with Chagall, but now Adean and Azel are in danger. What are we going to do?"

Sigurd could not find an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Breastfeeding can actually be a good form of birth control, at least for the first few months after birth. It would not have helped Sigurd, however (I did say "can be", not "is", after all). If he had actually slept with Eldigan, he absolutely would have gotten pregnant, and that would have been one the least awful things to come out of it. Because not only is Eldigan absolutely correct that they both would have immediately regretted it, the entire situation would have gotten worse once word got out that "Sigrid" had gotten knocked up while her husband was nowhere near her.
> 
> Now we know where Sigrid is: She's been there the whole time. That is, in fact, where the title comes from.
> 
> Now, the next chapter isn't going to be Part 2. We're going to have a little interlude to see what Deirdre, Arvis and Grahnye have been up to.
> 
> And yes, Tiarca's name is "Catria" scrambled. I gave all of Ferry's squad members scrambled names of other Pegasus Knights in the series. Sesanva is "Vanessa", Tethi is "Thite" (Thea's Japanese name), and the fourth member is Misau ("Sumia").


	5. Interlude 1: Brother and Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We take a break from Sigurd's story as Deirdre and Grahnye set out for Grannvale. They make some deviations to the plan, but it just might work out in their favor.
> 
> Unfortunately, it might not be enough.

Grahnye of Nordion had known from an early age that she was not meant for greatness. And she was perfectly fine with that.

Her lineage was almost completely rooted in Manster as far back as she could find. Her great-great-grandparents had met and fallen in love when they were part of Crusader Noba's squad of Lance Knights to found the kingdom of Thracia. Her great-grandfather had personally acted as second-in-command to Noba's son when the Manster District was forced to secede from Thracia due to the cruelty of Crusader Dain's son. He later married a woman from a village east of Alster.

Her grandfather was the only one who broke the tradition of marrying a bride from the Manster District. The people of Conote objected to their leader marrying a woman of completely unknown origins, but he persisted. 

Grahnye's mother, Noraele, followed in her father's footsteps and chose her husband for herself, rejecting an arranged marriage to do so. She married a man in the employ of King Calf of Leonster, with Grahnye as the fruit of their union.

Though Noraele's parents disliked her choice of spouse, they doted on their granddaughter. Her grandfather carried her around on his shoulders when she was small, and her grandmother told her stories of her homeland when she was old enough to keep a secret.

Grahnye's father was not merely a high-ranking soldier in Leonster's army, but a personal friend to King Calf. That was how Grahnye met Cuan.

The two were opposites in most ways; he was mischievous and she was dutiful. He was something of a hothead, while the last time Grahnye lost her temper was at age nine, courtesy of Cuan dropping a frog on her head. He was respectful of private conversations, while Grahnye simply couldn't hold back her curiosity.

(Then again, the fact that Cuan encouraged that sort of behavior while not engaging in it himself made her suspect that he was using her as a fall guy in case she got caught)

Despite being nearly the embodiment of what was expected of a lady, Grahnye did not really have any female friends. She was courteous to other girls and was treated courteously in return most of the time (save for that one girl from Conote whose rudeness to Grahnye was quickly cut short when Cuan learned about it), but she did not really consider them close friends. Furthermore, once she and Cuan began to grow apart, she didn't really have any other friends, male or female.

The day Cuan introduced her to the man who would become her husband (a buddy of his from Belhalla Academy, he said) was the first time they'd spoken in nearly two years. Within a year, Grahnye and Eldigan were engaged to be married with very little input from either of them. Eldigan was kind to her, certainly, but it didn't take long for Grahnye to realize that he was in love with someone else. It took even less time to figure out that the person in question was Cuan's _other_ buddy from the academy, Sigrid of Chalphy.

It took a bit of time for Eldigan and Grahnye to conceive, and not just because they rarely went to bed together. In fact, Grahnye had begun to worry that one of them was infertile when her pregnancy was finally confirmed. She had sighed in relief, but the pregnancy was very strenuous on her. Childbirth nearly killed her. The doctor who examined her afterwards said that it was very unlikely that she'd be able to carry another child to term.

When the mess with Grannvale started, Eldigan started spending more time at the Agustrian capital. That left Grahnye home with her sister-in-law, Lachesis. Unfortunately, even before realizing that Lachesis's feelings for Eldigan went beyond what a sister should feel for her brother, the two hadn't been able to get along. Their personalities were far too different. Grahnye had barely been able to convince her to not charge into the fight and stay put when Heirhein began acting up. Going a day without an argument was a good sign. Sigrid's arrival was almost a relief.

Even if she didn't suspect Sigrid was having an affair with her husband, Grahnye couldn't see herself becoming friends with her. The woman was far too tomboyish for Grahnye to keep up with. Her sister, Ethlyn, was rather friendly and too obviously in love with Cuan to have an affair with Eldigan, but she was rather energetic in a different way. Perhaps it was a Chalphy thing.

Adean was polite and kind, but it didn't seem like she and Eldigan were all that close, so she rarely visited when she was in the area.

Though Grahnye didn't know for sure that Deirdre was from the Spirit Forest until she listened in on the conversation, she had suspected it from the moment she laid eyes on her. Silver hair was a very unusual sight, and Grahnye distinctively remembered her grandmother telling her that those with silver hair were known to carry the blood of Saint Maira. That caused her to remember what happened to the kind family that lived near Nordion. The family's daughter was a crafty girl, and had generously made Grahnye's wedding veil.

A month later, the girl was burned alive with the rest of her family, based off of nothing but the accusation of a neighbor girl who Grahnye later heard was jealous of the crafty girl's talent.

Simply being accused of worshipping the Dark God was enough to put you and your family at risk. If anyone were to learn of Deirdre's heritage, Grahnye doubted the people of Agustria would be content to simply burn her. Though Grahnye loved her new home, it was clear that there were a number of dark, ugly truths hiding beneath its reputation as the Dominion of the Lords.

And so, she kept her mouth shut.

As Deirdre was leaving Nordion to return to Agusty, Grahnye approached her and revealed that her grandmother had been from the Spirit Forest. Deirdre was surprised, but seemed glad to have some form of kinship with her. Grahnye asked if she could hear about her life in the Spirit Forest. Her grandmother was still alive (and just as spry as she had been as a young lady), so she'd doubtlessly be happy to hear about how things were in her homeland.

Deirdre agreed, and said that they would need to talk soon.

Having a female friend was... rather nice, actually. Deirdre was wide-eyed and excited to learn about the world outside of the forest she'd called home. Grahnye was happy to learn that the place her grandmother had grown up was a quiet, but happy one. Finding someone with a similar temperament as her may have been what she needed.

At the same time, it was obvious that Deirdre was hiding something, and it wasn't long before Grahnye learned that Deirdre was the illegitimate child of Grannvale's Prince Kurth. That, combined with her Saint Maira blood, put a target on her back. She needed to be escorted to Belhalla, but the issue was doing it without arousing suspicion.

Grahnye knew that Eldigan would end up sending her and Ares to her parents' home in Leonster if the situation in Agustria continued to deteriorate. She began to consider volunteering to take Deirdre to Belhalla on the way, but Sigrid actually made the suggestion first. Perhaps she was smarter than Grahnye gave her credit for.

They decided that if Belhalla became a non-option for whatever reason, they would head to Velthomer, where Sigrid's husband (and Deirdre's half-brother, as it turned out) lived.

By the time it came to depart, it was clear that a civil war was on the horizon. Grahnye knew that her husband would stay and fight to the last man. If nothing else, she at least hoped that he would not be forced to fight his friends and the woman he loved.

So she asked Sigrid to look after Eldigan and Lachesis "in whatever ways she needed to". She did not know how Sigrid would take those words, but she at least wanted to be sure that Sigrid would not betray her husband. Sigrid seemed the type to uphold her promises not matter what.

Grahnye and Deirdre made their trek to Belhalla. Once they had crossed the border, Deirdre noticed a mark had appeared on Ares's upper back while Grahnye was washing him. Turning her son around, she realized that the Mark of Crusader Hezul had finally appeared on her son's body. Though she had already made peace with the fact that she could not have any more children, she still felt tears of relief fall from her eyes.

Deirdre hugged her after she explained why she was crying. That night, they discussed whether it was truly safe to make their way to Belhalla. With two Brand bearers (with one of them being the illegitimate daughter of the Crown Prince, a descendant of Saint Heim, _and_ a descendant of Saint Maira), there was always the possibility that they could be taken hostage. Not to mention that if they were forced to give proof of Deirdre's heritage (and Grahnye was sure they would), there was a risk that the Loptyr Sect would get wind of her presence before they were granted an audience with King Azmur, who Grahnye had heard was bedridden.

Velthomer also carried some heavy risks. The Loptyr Sect would likely have their inside man monitored to make sure he wasn't planning to rebel against them. Indeed, Velthomer was probably even more likely to having Loptyrians watching it than Belhalla.

Deirdre seemed worried, but Grahnye suddenly remembered something Sigrid had said to her the day she married Eldigan.

"If it ever comes down it, you'll always be welcome at Chalphy."

She looked at Deirdre and told her she had an idea.

 

Deirdre was grateful that Grahnye had agreed to escort her to Grannvale. She didn't want to burden Sigrid and the others when they had so much on their plate already, but Grahnye was already heading in that direction anyway. Having a familiar presence was reassuring, and a calm person like Grahnye was good at easing Deirdre's nerves.

The issue once they arrived was where to go. Belhalla and Velthomer both carried the risk of alerting the Loptyr Sect to their presence. Grahnye told her that it was likely that Velthomer was heavily monitored, and that was why they shouldn't go there. Deirdre knew that was true, but she could tell that Grahnye also had doubts about whether or not her brother could be trusted. 

Still, she said nothing and listened to Grahnye's idea.

"Lady Sigrid told me when I got married that I would always be welcome at Chalphy." Grahnye explained. "If we can get the people of Chalphy to hear our story, we can probably be sure that the Loptyrians won't learn we're here. After all, Lady Sigrid has been in Agustria for months. Who would think they would have guests?"  
"What a good idea!"  
"We could have someone there call Duke Arvis to Chalphy so we can explain what is going on."  
"Of course!"

And so, the two of them made their way to Chalphy. The duchy's Bishop, a man named Palmarch, came out to greet them.

"It is good to finally meet you, Lady Grahnye!" He said cheerfully as he shook her hand. "Lady Sigrid has been close to your husband since their days at Belhalla Academy. Naturally, any friend of King Eldigan is a friend of Chalphy."  
"Thank you, Bishop Palmarch."  
"So, what is it that brings you here today?"  
"I'm on my way to my parents' home in Leonster." Grahnye smiled stiffly. "My husband... didn't want me or our son to be in Agustria for awhile."

The Bishop's smile faded. Did he know how things were going in Agustria?

"I-I see. My apologies." He nodded. "I will ask the people of the castle to prepare rooms for you and your... friend?"  
"My friend is the reason we actually came here specifically." Grahnye looked at Deirdre and nodded.

Deirdre removed her hood and introduced herself before removing her circlet. Palmarch's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"Y-You're..." He coughed before regaining his composure. "Interesting. It seems you're not only a descendant of Saint Heim, but of Saint Maira as well?"  
"I-Is it that obvious?" Deirdre looked at Grahnye in embarrassment.  
"Silver..." Grahnye looked away awkwardly. "Isn't exactly a common hair color, Deirdre. Though I'm not sure how the good Bishop knew it was a sign of your heritage."

Grahnye placed herself between Deirdre and Palmarch, glancing toward the door.

Palmarch gave a hearty chuckle.

"At ease, Lady Grahnye." He shook his head. "My grandmother was a follower and childhood friend of Saint Blaggi. She was rescued from the child hunts and raised by a follower of Saint Maira. After the Tower of Blaggi was constructed, she followed him to Edda and settled there."  
"I-I see." Grahnye appeared to relax, but it was clear that her guard was still up.  
"Now, is there a reason you chose to come here rather than to Belhalla, where your grandfather is?"  
"It's a long story." Deirdre looked away.

She and Grahnye explained the story of Deirdre's parents, omitting that her mother was the former Duchess-Consort of Velthomer. They told him of how Deirdre knew that the Loptyr Sect was looking for her, and that they hoped to request aid from Sigrid's husband, Duke Arvis.

"True." Palmarch nodded. "No one would think that the prince's lost daughter would appear at Chalphy, nor would they expect her to seek the aid of another duchy to make it to Belhalla."

Palmarch then volunteered to write the letter to Arvis, reasoning that he'd be more inclined to listen to the request of someone he knew lived at Chalphy than that of a stranger.

Both women thanked the bishop and allowed themselves to be escorted upstairs, where Grahnye began to compose a letter to Sigrid explaining their plan while Deirdre rocked Ares to sleep.

Soon, both letters were sent off with messengers. The bishop explained that there was a dispute between two villages near Chalphy. While it was likely that he would be able to help them resolve it by tomorrow, he had written a request for Duke Arvis's help. Deirdre and Grahnye thanked him once again, and went to bed.

The next morning, Deirdre asked if Grahnye was going to continue her journey to Leonster, but Grahnye declined, saying she'd wait until she knew Deirdre had met her grandfather.

"If something goes wrong, I can at least take you to Leonster with me." She reasoned. "In fact, part of me thinks it might have been better if I had done that from the start."  
"How so?"

Grahnye told her that as the daughter of King Calf's trusted guard, getting in to see him would be fairly simple. And because the Manster District was allied with Grannvale, a message from Leonster that they had located the king's granddaughter would surely be trusted.

"Leonster is still a fair distance from Grannvale, though, isn't it?" Deirdre shook her head. "Even if my grandfather believes it's me, he's still apparently bedridden. He'd need to send a messenger to come for me, and if the Loptyrians find out why the king is sending an escort to Leonster, we'd be giving away our position."  
"That's..." Grahnye got an almost pained look on her face. "That is true."  
"I think coming to Chalphy was the best plan." Deirdre smiled at her.  
"Thank you, Deirdre." Grahnye sighed, but she was smiling.

As the morning turned into afternoon, a messenger arrived from Velthomer, saying that Duke Arvis was going to arrive that evening to discuss Bishop Palmarch's letter. As she and Grahnye waited on the upper floor of the castle, Deirdre watched a carriage arrive, accompanied by a woman on a horse. When both came to a stop, the woman dismounted her horse and walked to the carriage, saying something to the passenger before entering the castle. A maid escorted her up.

"Good evening." The woman greeted them as she ran her eyes around the room. "My name is Aida. I'm the General of Velthomer's Roten Ritter, and I'm beginning to suspect that Bishop Palmarch's letter was a sham. Who are you two?"

Aida reached her hand toward her belt, where Deirdre could see a red tome.

"I am Grahnye, wife of Nordion's King Eldigan." Grahnye spoke calmly. "I am on my way to my homeland of Leonster with my son. I stopped here in order to escort a friend to her father's homeland."  
"Oh?"  
"And my name is Deirdre." Deirdre swallowed hard. "I am the daughter of Grannvale's Prince Kurth. I am hoping to be escorted to Belhalla to meet my grandfather."

Aida seemed surprised by Deirdre's appearance, but she still seemed skeptical.

"If you're the daughter of Prince Kurth, then surely you have the mark of Naga on your body somewhere?" She said curiously.

Deirdre removed her circlet. Aida's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded.

"Okay, I'm convinced." She said slowly. "The question is, why are you here? Why do you need to speak with Duke Arvis?"  
"Because he's my brother."

Aida didn't seem particularly surprised by this revelation, and merely nodded before returning to the carriage to inform its passenger of what she'd been told. From the window, Deirdre saw the carriage door throw itself open and out stormed a man Deirdre assumed was her brother. The man turned his gaze toward the window, but he did not dwell on it for long. After a few seconds, he said something to Aida before making his way into the castle, followed by Aida. A few seconds later, Deirdre heard the door open.

"It's nice to meet you, Lord Brother." Deirdre said, not looking from the window.  
"I'm not..."

Deirdre turned around to see a maid had walked in to bring them tea and inform them that the Duke was on his way up.

Deirdre sat down in embarrassment, not looking up when Arvis finally entered the room.

"It's nice to see you again, Duke Arvis." Grahnye greeted him politely. "And it's even nicer to be arranging a family reunion."

 

For a moment, all Arvis could do was stare. It had been nearly two decades since his mother had left, but the girl sitting before him was a near mirror image of her.

"You claim to be my younger sister _and_ the daughter of Prince Kurth." He said slowly. "In order for that to be true..."  
"Our mother had an affair with Prince Kurth, yes." The woman, Deirdre, nodded. "And it led to me."

Deirdre removed the circlet on her forehead and revealed a Brand on her forehead. It was unquestionably that of Saint Heim. A number of imposters had come to Belhalla claiming to be Prince Kurth's child, but all of them had gotten some detail wrong, whether it was the shape, the size or the color. In this case, however not only was the Brand shaped and sized correctly, but even the color was right.

"Then it's true." Arvis said as he slumped into the seat opposite Deirdre.  
"You believe me?" Deirdre asked, looking hopeful.  
"You look too much like Mother for it to be a coincidence."

Arvis disliked hearing about his mother's relationship with Prince Kurth. It was one of the few topics that made him lose his temper, but for all he adored and trusted his mother, he'd always known in his heart that it had happened. He simply didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Why now?" He asked. "Why are you only just now appearing before me?"  
"Because I learned who I was." Deirdre explained. "I grew up in the isolation of the Spirit Forest. I never knew who my father was, and I was prohibited from associating with men."  
"Our mother never told you?" Arvis gave her an incredulous look, but the sad expression that crossed Deirdre's face told him all he needed to know. "How did it happen?"

So she told him.

She told him how their mother had screamed when she learned that she had birthed a daughter that could possibly bring forth a child capable of housing the Dark God Loptyr once more. How she'd been inconsolable and needed to be sedated into a sleep that she ultimately never woke from.

"I'm sorry." She finished off her explanation with a soft voice.  
"It's..." Arvis swallowed hard. "It's not your fault."

It would perhaps be a bit dishonest if he were to say he didn't blame her at least a little, but it was true that it was hardly her fault. Arvis rationalized his words, then moved to his next question.

"How did you find out?"  
"Your wife told me."  
"My... My wife?"

Deirdre explained that she had met his wife, Sigrid, at Marpha when she rescued her from a man that had been harassing her. Shortly after that, she met her again in the Spirit Forest and told her of the Dark Mage, Sandima.

"She told me that her husband had had to return home." Deirdre noted, and Arvis nodded, feeling somewhat guilty over what he'd told her.

He had been summoned to Belhalla, that was true, but it hadn't been by King Azmur. Rather, that dastard Manfroy had been keeping tabs on him and sent a messenger ordering him to leave his wife's side.

"You _are_ going to be marrying Prince Kurth's daughter, after all." The messenger had sneered. "Best not to get _too_ attached to the woman you let yourself get pressured into marrying."

Simply thinking about the messenger's words made him shudder in disgust. Had he and Sigrid been watched?

"I joined with her army, and I remained with them even after Sandima's defeat." Deirdre continued. "I... admit that I've always been curious about the world outside of the forest."  
"You got that from Mother, at the very least." Arvis gave a slightly bitter smile. "She told me she'd hated living in the forest and ran away as soon as she could. She soon married my father, and it probably ended up being the worst mistake of her life."

Deirdre's expression turned sad again, but she did not comment on Arvis's words.

"According to what Lady Sigrid told me, she heard about Mother's affair with my father from a nobleman from Velthomer." She continued. "Then she connected the dots and realized that I was her daughter."  
"Did she tell you about-" Arvis hesitated.  
"About your Saint Maira blood?" Deirdre nodded. "Yes."

Arvis felt his heart sink. The night he'd told Sigrid of that, she'd promised to carry that knowledge to the grave. For her to have told Deirdre, a woman she barely knew...

"Who all knows?" He demanded, glancing at Grahnye.  
"Prince Cuan of Leonster, his wife Ethlyn, King Eldigan of Nordion, your brother, Azel, and his wife Adean." Deirdre said gently. "While the others in the army know that I'm Prince Kurth's daughter, they don't know who my mother is, nor do they know about the fact that she had Saint Maira's blood."

She was obviously trying to comfort him, but it didn't help. Ethlyn, he could actually understand. Not only were Ethlyn and Sigrid very close, but Ethlyn could also be very nosy and would likely realize that Sigrid was keeping a secret from her. And if Ethlyn knew, she would obviously tell her husband. Azel... He'd wanted to tell him the truth for quite some time, but had never managed to get up the nerve to.

But for her to tell Eldigan, who obviously harbored feelings deeper than that of friendship, suggested to Arvis that Sigrid- wait, what did she say?

"Wife?" Arvis said bemusedly, giving Deirdre a confused look. "Azel has-"  
"Speaking of which..." Grahnye spoke up, standing up as she did.

After handing her son to Deirdre, she walked over to where Arvis was sitting. He clearly saw her hand move, but by the time he realized her intent, his cheek was already stinging from where she'd slapped him.

"What exactly do you have to say for yourself?" She gave him a cold look.  
"What?" Arvis glared at her, but the pain did nothing to dull his confusion.  
"Your brother and his wife are expecting their first child, but you can't even find the time to send them a letter?" Grahnye scolded him. "And at this point, I'd wager that your wife has already given birth to your child without having received any indication that you know or care!"

Child?

By now, Deirdre had noticed his confusion and shook her head.

"You really don't know, do you?" She gave a resigned sigh. "Prince Cuan was right; Our mail wasn't just being monitored, it was being intercepted."

"What?"  
"Lord Brother, when was the last time you heard from Lady Sigrid or Azel?"

Arvis looked away. He and Sigrid had both promised to send word that they'd reached their destinations safely, but he never got a letter from Sigrid.

"I'm guessing it's been some time." Grahnye sighed, walking toward Deirdre to reclaim her son. "I suspect I owe you an apology for slapping you just now."

So Deirdre soon began to explain things again. Arvis learned that a few months earlier, Azel had married Adean, the woman he'd set out to rescue from Verdane. Shortly after that, Adean learned that she was pregnant. Sigrid had learned of her own pregnancy shortly before that.

"Both Sir Azel and Lady Sigrid sent many letters, but they never received a reply."

"So..." Arvis blinked. "Sigrid's pregnant?"  
"She was last I saw her." Deirdre nodded. "But I'd wager she's probably had the baby by now."

If that was true, then it had almost certainly happened at Marpha. It almost made him want to laugh. The Loptyr Sect had dragged him away from his wife the night they'd created a new life.

"How is she?" He demanded. "Is she eating properly? Getting enough rest?"  
"She's been doing rather well." Deirdre giggled. "Azel has been looking out for her. At the same time, however, I think she's been lonely."  
"It's my understanding that she didn't tell anyone until she was nearly four months in?" Grahnye gestured to Deirdre.  
"Yes." Deirdre took a sip of the tea that was beginning to grow cold. "She told us the same day she told us about my father, though I know the others had suspected for awhile."

Arvis wondered if "the others" included Eldigan, but pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Despite going after nearly every woman who took his fancy, his father had been an incredibly jealous and possessive man who accused his wife of sleeping with almost every man who she glanced at, regardless of how absurd. The last thing Arvis wanted was to go down the road that led to being more like him. He made a point of not sleeping around, and now he was **going** to have faith in his wife.

("Oh, but didn't you have a little _dalliance_ a few years ago?" a small voice nagged in his brain, but Arvis ignored it)

"Deirdre..." He swallowed hard. "If we share the same mother, then is it possible that you also inherited the blood of Saint Maira?"  
"I did." Deirdre looked down at her hands. "My entire life I've been afraid of what would happen if I were to fall in love. What if the man I loved turned out to be my own brother? Our child would become the vessel for Loptyr."

Arvis gave a shudder at the thought. He'd spent his entire life hiding the truth about what he'd inherited from his mother because of that fear. It didn't matter if you were a man, a woman, or a child. If people found out that you had the blood of the Dark God, even if it came from the man who'd defied his own brother, you were as good as dead. Even being suspected of having the cursed blood was enough to put you in danger. Once he'd succeeded his father as Duke of Velthomer, he did everything in his power to be as good a ruler as he could. Surely a man embodying the traits of Crusader Fala couldn't belong to the same bloodline that she'd helped defeat, right?

As he got older, he grew angry not merely at having to hide the truth about his heritage, but at the things he perceived as unjust. He became determined to be an excellent ruler not just for his own sake, but for the people.

On the downside, his relationship with Azel began to deteriorate after Azel's mother died. Her presence had made caring for Azel as a brother easier, but once she was gone, he had to act more like a parent to him, since Azel was still young. He did what he had to, but he often worried that Azel resented him.

("Meanwhile, you never even bothered to check on that son of Aida's." The small voice spoke up again. "It sounds like he's just old enough to have been fathered by-")

The fact that that damned Manfroy was here and there didn't help. When he'd proposed that Arvis marry Prince Kurth's illegitimate daughter a few years earlier, Arvis had agreed. Taking the throne after King Azmur's death would make his goal to rid Grannvale of inequality much easier. At the same time, however, Arvis knew that Manfroy was keeping secrets, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were.

"But I'm not afraid anymore." Deirdre shook him him from his thoughts. "Not only have I met my brother, but he's married to one of my dearest friends."  
"You're... close to Sigrid, are you?"  
"Yes." She nodded. "Azel, too. We share a brother, after all. Oh! Um... Azel asked me to just call him by name, rather than Sir Azel. We're about the same age, he said, so there's no need to be so formal."  
"How are they?" Arvis asked. "I'd like to hear how they're doing."  
"Only if you tell me about yourself." Deirdre gave a small giggle. "Azel told me about you, but Sigrid... had trouble."  
"What do you mean?"

Deirdre's smile faded, and she explained that Sigrid said that she couldn't really understand what he was thinking.

"I think she might have been upset that she hadn't heard from you." She offered as an explanation. "Of course, I'm sure she'll be happy to learn _why_ you never answered any of her letters."  
"I-I see."  
"So, if I may..." Deirdre smiled again, sweetly. "How did you two fall in love?"  
"How we-"  
"And how did you meet?" Deirdre's eyes were sparkling now, eager to hear stories from her older brother.

It was actually a little embarrassing. Arvis was reminded of Azel when he was younger, excited to learn about Velthomer and court life. He gave a small cough.

"I've known Sigrid for several years now." He began. "We're both descendants of Crusaders, after all.  
"So you're childhood friends?"  
"No." Arvis shook his head. "In fact, I only began to get to know her shortly before we got married."  
"Why is that?"

Arvis cleared his throat and explained that for nobility, marriage was more of a tool than a proper expression of love.

"So you..." Deirdre got a disappointed look on her face. "Don't love Lady Sigrid?

Arvis coughed.

"I didn't say that."

 

Deirdre's new brother was somewhat different from what she had come to expect.

Azel had told her that he was a very intimidating man, and one with high standards, whatever that meant.

But he seemed to be a mature, polite man from what she could tell. He gave no indication that he blamed her for their mother's death despite the fact that from what Sigrid had told her, the two were quite close. He asked about both his brother and his wife, with concern for both evident in his eyes, even if he was trying to hide it.

Arvis also seemed rather shy on the subject of his wife, if his awkward coughing was any indication. Deirdre decided to let up and moved the subject to Azel.

"Azel has been walking on cloud nine ever since he got married." She said cheerfully. "It sounds like he was in love with Lady Adean for a long time."  
"Yes." Arvis nodded, and Deirdre could see a small smile forming on his lips. "He has. I'm glad to hear that it wasn't a simple infatuation. Is it true that they're expecting a child?"

Deirdre nodded happily, explaining that Adean was about 5-6 months in.

"It sounds like the baby started kicking when we left." She gave a small giggle. "Poor Azel was panicking every time Adean made a sound when she was being quiet."  
"That sounds like him." Arvis shook his head, but the smile remained. "...Is it true that he hasn't gotten any letters from me?"  
"He hasn't." Deirdre looked away sadly.

"If I may..." Grahnye interjected. "How often did you write to Lady Sigrid and Sir Azel, Duke Arvis?"

"When I left, I asked Sigrid to send me a letter once the issue with Verdane was taken care of, but I never got one." Arvis explained. "At first, I was sending them weekly, then monthly... But eventually I stopped."  
"After King Batou's funeral, Lady Sigrid got the orders to maintain Evans as a base of operations." Deirdre noted. "Then when we got to Evans, there was a messenger waiting with a letter for Lady Sigrid. I'm guessing that was the letter you sent telling her you'd made it to Belhalla safely. I know she wrote a reply letter almost immediately and sent it back with the man who brought yours."

Arvis got an odd look on his face.

"Lord Brother?"  
"Come to think of it, that messenger was known for being extremely diligent, but I haven't seen him since that day." He looked down into his now cold tea. "In fact, quite a few messengers from both Belhalla and Velthomer have disappeared."

Arvis's face grew pale as Deirdre stood and walked toward him. She gently took his hands into her own.

"Lord Brother, I'm going to ask you a very important question, and I want you to answer me honestly." She said firmly as her soft grip turned into a squeeze. "Has the Loptyr Sect made contact with you?"

"How-" Arvis cut himself off, but even if he hadn't said a word, his expression was a dead giveaway.  
"It's alright." Surprisingly, it was Grahnye who spoke up, rather than Deirdre. "This is between the three of us. No one is listening to this conversation besides that woman, whom I'm guessing you asked to wait outside as backup."

Arvis glanced toward the door in alarm before turning his gaze toward Grahnye.

"Let's just say that eavesdropping is something of a special skill of mine." Grahnye smiled wryly. "You learn to listen for footsteps outside of doors."  
"But it doesn't help when the people you're eavesdropping on are already aware of your presence, though, does it?" Deirdre teased, smiling sweetly. "Isn't that how you found out about me?"

Grahnye smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You should be careful, Grahnye. You'll scare your son."

Granted, Ares appeared to already be asleep. 

"I'll take him back to my room and put him to bed." Grahnye looked at Arvis. "Is General Aida trustworthy?"  
"I-" Arvis hesitated. "Yes. I don't know how she found out about my heritage-"  
"I have my ways." Deirdre heard Aida's voice outside the door.  
"At any rate, I'd suggest she involve herself in the conversation. We could use her help in getting Deirdre to Belhalla."

Grahnye nodded at Deirdre and Arvis before departing the room, saying she'd return shortly. Aida entered the room as Grahnye left, shutting the door behind her.

"This is turning into quite the evening." She said faux-cheerfully. "I came here expecting a dispute between villages, and here we are trying to outsmart a cult."

She dropped her false smile and dropped onto the sofa.

"I'm guessing the Loptyr Sect is already aware of your existence?" She asked.  
"Yes." Deirdre nodded. "They already knew that Saint Maira's descendants lived in the Spirit Forest. I know that they were looking for me because they occasionally came to the village and asked about a young girl with silver hair."  
"What would they need you for?" Arvis seemed to calm down. "Even if you are Prince Kurth's daughter, that's no guarantee that you'll do what they want even in the event that they put you on the throne."  
"I don't think I'm their true goal, Lord Brother." Deirdre shook her head. "I think they want my child. Or rather, yours and my child."

 

Arvis blinked.

What reason did he and Deirdre have to have a child together? It was true that he had agreed to marry the prince's daughter when he'd learned of her a few years ago, but that was obviously not going to be happening now for a number of reasons. He'd assumed that Manfroy had wanted to put someone with even a drop of Loptyrian blood on the throne so that people might ease up on the persecution of people descended from Maira (though Arvis suspected that Manfroy hoped to do more than just let them be more open). If the cult knew that Deirdre was the daughter of his mother, then they had to have known that that made them half-siblings. And if they were to have a child...

Arvis felt his face grow paler.

"They... They want to revive Loptyr?" He asked, grateful that he was already sitting down. "And they want to use us to do it."  
"I think so."

"It makes sense." Aida agreed. "They don't exactly have any other sources of Loptyr blood to do it. Not to mention the two of you are also descendants of two of the Crusaders who defeated Loptyr the first time. I doubt they planned for that, but I bet they'd enjoy the irony."

When Galle XVII fell, his tome had gone missing in the chaos surrounding his defeat. The history books speculated that it had fallen into the hands of the remnants of the Loptyrian Sect, but because Galle hadn't had any children before his death, there was no one who could wield it and be possessed by Loptyr. Mother had told him that her family was prohibited from having more than one child so as to prevent there from being two possible carriers of Loptyr blood who could possibly breed to create a child carrying Loptyr's Mark. Even if the two were of the same sex, _their_ children were likely to inherit that blood, she explained.

"But Mother, even if you were to have a daughter, she'd be my sister!" Arvis had innocently replied. "I couldn't marry my own sister."

And Mother, whose rare laughter was usually soft and kind, gave a low and dark chuckle.

"My sweet little boy..." She whispered sadly, stroking his cheek. "I wish you could always be this pure. But you must learn now, before it's too late: Never underestimate what the Loptyr Sect will do. My family didn't make the Spirit Forest their home to hide solely from the flames of an enraged mob."

The memory caused Arvis to shudder. It all seemed obvious now.

"Manfroy, you dastard..." He heard himself whisper.  
"Oh, is that the man who's been popping in now and then to talk to you?" Aida tilted her head at him. "He's a Loptyrian?"  
"...He's been a thorn in my side since I was ten." Arvis admitted. "He claims that he wants to put me, a man descended from Saint Maira, on the throne of Grannvale."

The door opened, and Grahnye returned, taking her seat.

"I agreed to work with him as a child, and as I got older, I almost felt like I could understand his goals." Arvis continued. "I wanted to end the discrimination against those descended from Saint Maira, but I could never bring myself to really trust the man. There was always a nagging feeling that he was hiding something from me."

There was no doubt in his mind that Manfroy had known Deirdre's parentage. He intended for Arvis to marry and father a child with his own half-sister.

Arvis didn't know what they intended to do about his marriage to Sigrid, but it was unlikely that it would be anything good. If they were to find out that they had a child... He wasn't sure he wanted to continue that line of thought.

"Lord Brother?" Deirdre's voice shook him back to reality. "If this Manfroy intends for you to become Grannvale's king, then that would mean he intends for you to marry Grannvale's princess."  
"Which means that he intends for me to marry you, yes." Arvis smiled bitterly. "And I'm certain he knows of our relation. He's a crafty dastard with a lot of followers. We'll have to move quickly if we want to get you to King Azmur before any of them find out you're here."

Deirdre smiled.

"Thank you, Lord Brother."

For a moment, it all felt like it would be okay.

 

"First, we'll need to come up with a cover story for why you're smuggling a girl into Belhalla Castle." Aida spoke up. "If you get caught, we don't want to be blindsided."

Arvis agreed, saying it would look suspicious if he were to bring a strange woman into Belhalla Castle without consulting the castle staff first. Worst case scenario, he could be accused of trying to sneak an assassin in.

"I could hide in a box?" Deirdre suggested.

Both Aida and Arvis shot the idea down: Not only would they not be able to tell how long she'd be in the box, but all packages were examined to ensure they weren't hiding anything dangerous, like poisoned food or knives.

"Is there some way we could disguise her?" Grahnye asked. "The hood was fine for travelling on the road, but she would stand out in Belhalla."

Aida seemed to react to the idea.

"A merchant showed up at our training grounds recently." She said as a thoughtful expression graced her face. "She was dressed in odd clothing and claimed to have red hair despite the fact that her hair was dark blue."  
"How curious!" Deirdre thought the idea was intriguing, at the very least.  
"It turned out that she had developed a sort of formula to temporarily change someone's hair color." Aida continued. "Sure enough, when she washed it out of her hair, she was indeed a redhead."  
"Is she still there?" Arvis nodded, understanding what Aida's idea was.  
"No, but she did leave some bottles of the formula. I wasn't interested, but some of the senior members have been using them to pull pranks on the newer recruits." Aida stood up, walking toward the door. "I'll head back in the carriage. I should be back tomorrow evening."  
"Then I'll-" Arvis stood up, but Aida shook her head.  
"You're supposed to be resolving a dispute between two nearby villages, remember?" Aida turned back, giving her commander a small smirk. "Besides, I believe you still have some catching up to do with your little sister."

Arvis's face grew red, but he made no protest as Aida left the room laughing.

"You two seem rather close." Deirdre noted. "Have you known each other for a long time?"  
"Close to ten years now, yes." Arvis sighed, sitting down. "I trust her more than almost anyone. It was thanks to her that I was able to break a very... bad habit of mine."

He looked away, and Deirdre sensed that he didn't want to talk about the subject anymore. Deirdre wanted to talk more about Sigrid, but she didn't think he would be all that more receptive to talking about that, either.

"It's... getting rather late, isn't it?" She said quietly. "Perhaps we can table this discussion for the morning?"

Arvis turned to her and smiled kindly at her, saying that that was a good idea. They'd talk more in the morning, he said.

Deirdre wished she could take his words at face value, but his smile was painfully fake.

When Arvis departed to head to bed, Deirdre asked one of the maids if he was staying in his and Sigrid's room. The maid laughed and told her that Arvis and Sigrid had separate rooms.

"But they're married, aren't they?" She'd asked.  
"Yer a rather naïve one, aren'tcha?" The maid snickered before getting a curious look on her face. "Then again, Duke Arvis's room is on the other end of the hall. He's goin' ta Lady Sigrid's room."

That piqued Deirdre's curiosity and she followed Arvis down the hall.

Though Arvis had already entered and shut the door, Deirdre was able to open it just a crack. She could see Arvis had removed his shoes, but nothing else. He was lying on his stomach, with his face buried in one of the pillows. Unsure of what he was doing, Deirdre shifted her weight...

And bumped into the door, causing it to creak.

"Who's there!?"

Deirdre had already jumped away from the door as soon as she heard the sound she'd caused, but she could tell her brother had pulled himself up and was watching the door like a hawk.

"Show yourself!" She heard him growl. "Or would you prefer to meet the flames of Valflame?"

Gulping, Deirdre opened the door as far as she could without stepping closer.

"Deirdre?!" Arvis got an incredulous look on his face. "What are you-"

He cut himself off. Then he took a deep breath and sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sounding calm.  
"I-I wasn't sure what you were doing in this room." Deirdre stammered. "One of the maids said that this was Lady Sigrid's room."  
"I see." Arvis closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Then I'm guessing she told you that I normally sleep in a different room when I come to Chalphy?"

Deirdre nodded slowly. Arvis let out a groan.

"It's true... But it's also not true."  
"What?" Deirdre gave Arvis a quizzical look.

Arvis looked away before he said that his and Sigrid's relationship was a rather complex one. It took them some time to begin acting like a married couple, and that they were still getting the hang of it.

"Because your marriage was a tool?" Deirdre asked, allowing something resembling anger to creep into her voice. This man was her brother, but he was also her friend's husband. She could forgive him for not answering Sigrid's letters because hadn't gotten them, but she would not forgive him for toying with Sigrid's heart.

"Partially." Arvis admitted. "But there were some... other circumstances that I'd rather not discuss with you right now."

When Deirdre asked what he meant, he gave her an agitated look and said that there were certain things he didn't like to talk about, and he wasn't able to act like a proper husband to Sigrid until he was ready to discuss those things with her.

Finally realizing that she'd made him uncomfortable, Deirdre apologized and bade him good night, shutting the door as she did.

"Are you satisfied?" Grahnye asked as she Deirdre returned to the hallway where their rooms were.  
"Y-Yes." Deirdre nodded. "I'm still not sure why he chose to go to her room, though."

Grahnye gave a small chuckle and said it was rather obvious.

"Did he have his face in her pillow?" She asked. When Deirdre nodded, she explained that the room most likely still smelled like her, assuming it hadn't been disturbed since she left. 

Apprehension began to dawn on Deirdre, and she finally allowed herself to relax. She told Grahnye "good night" and went to bed with a smile.

 

Had Azel been that nosy and annoying when he was in that curious-about-everything phase of his? Arvis didn't think he had. Of course, Azel had been a child when he went through that. Deirdre was a young adult.

A young adult who spent most of her life in isolation and only just met her older brother a few hours ago, he reminded himself.

Arvis could hardly blame her for wanting to know more about him; Not only was he was her older brother _and_ the husband of her friend, but he'd grown up in a completely different world than she had. He'd known their mother for the first few years of his life.

Come to think of it, he realized as he lay back down, Deirdre didn't really ask any questions about Mother.

Then again, Deirdre grew up surrounded by people who had known Mother. She probably knew quite a bit about her despite never having met her. She might even know things that Arvis himself didn't.

He thought about what Deirdre had told him of how she'd met Sigrid. She'd wandered into town and found herself accosted by a stranger, only for Sigrid to come to her rescue. Mentally, he caught himself feeling grateful to his wife for being the one to find her. If Deirdre was as naïve as she was curious, it would have been fairly easy for someone to take advantage of her. That was likely how Mother had come to be the Duchess of Velthomer. If she had had someone like Sigrid there to look out for her as Deirdre had, perhaps her life would have gone differently.

Now that he was thinking of it, that really did sound like something Sigrid would do. This was a woman who was prepared to take the few soldiers she had at home to wage war on a nation her home country had a treaty with just because her childhood friend had been abducted, after all. Stepping in to save a stranger was hardly a leap from that.

He'd always thought that Sigrid's brashness was a flaw of hers. He still thought it was, if he was being honest. This was probably the first time he was grateful for it.

Of course, there were certain qualities that he had liked about her from the beginning. She'd always been a rather sincere, pure-hearted woman. Even if she hadn't been named heiress to the Chalphy duchy at a young age, Arvis was doubtful that she'd have let her spirit be quashed into what was more "proper" of a lady. She never let her now-former status as the most eligible bachelorette in Grannvale affect how she treated men. He'd known that she'd had pressure put on her to find a husband and produce an heir (that was what led their meeting at Belhalla, after all), but she didn't seem to let it bother her.

That was something he'd privately admired about her even before they got married.

Of course, Arvis knew that that had it downsides as well. Pressure or not, she _did_ need to produce a child at some point if she wanted to make sure the Tyrfing would have a wielder after she was gone, but even once it became clear that Prince Cuan was courting her younger sister, she made no movement to find a partner. She even cynically told Arvis that a marriage between them wouldn't work out after Prince Kurth himself had arranged that meeting. 

It was... refreshingly honest after meeting the other potential brides the staff at Velthomer tried to have him court.

Not only that, but since both of them would have their own duchies to take care of, it was likely that they wouldn't be in close proximity all the time. Arvis wouldn't need to worry that he might end up forming a toxic relationship like the one his parents had, and it would take the pressure off of both of them to find a spouse. Perhaps that was something of a naïve way of looking at it, but Arvis began to meet with Sigrid more often nonetheless. Before long, he'd sent a letter proposing marriage. A few days later, Sigrid arrived in Belhalla to accept.

They spent the first several months in seperate rooms at both Velthomer and Chalphy, but it did take the pressure off as he'd assumed. He knew he couldn't avoid the subject forever, however, and when he accompanied Sigrid to Leonster shortly after her sister's wedding, he had a suspicion that things were about to change.

He didn't know _how_ Ethlyn had gotten Sigrid to talk about their lack of consummation, but it didn't really matter, because Ethlyn made sure that that changed before they returned to Grannvale.

Perhaps meddling was a Chalphy thing.

Regardless, it _did_ mark a shift in their relationship. They were speaking more often, telling each other secrets they hadn't shared with anyone else before. He confided in her about his mother, and she gently encouraged him to open up to others. Shortly before the war with Isaach began, Sigrid received a letter from her sister telling her that she was now an aunt. Sigrid was delighted, and they paid a second visit to Leonster as a couple to meet their niece, Altena.

When they returned, Sigrid asked if he was interested in trying for a child. It was clear that she was hoping to get started on that, but Arvis was still hesitant. Manfroy had accepted his reasoning for marrying Sigrid since they still hadn't located Prince Kurth's daughter, but he warned Arvis not to "sow any seeds", so to speak.

Sigrid seemed to pick up on his reluctance, and she dropped the subject before the discussion could continue. Still, Arvis couldn't help but wonder if his hesitation hadn't hurt her in some way. When he arrived at Jungby all those months ago, she was acting strangely. They'd been learning to be more affectionate the past few months, but not only did Sigrid react in disgust when he kissed her, she was acting distant.

He was almost afraid she was having an affair, but the most likely suspect would be Eldigan of Nordion, and his brief meeting with the man at Evans didn't seem to suggest that.

She became bizarrely clingy at Marpha, but she seemed more like herself when Arvis left.

And now she was having their child, or rather, she'd most likely already had their child by now, if what Deirdre told him was accurate.

Was is it a boy or a girl, he wondered.

Grannvale was still rather strict on who could inherit; On the occasion that a daughter is born with a Brand, the duchy's ruler typically holds off on naming an heir until he either produces a son (who then adopts his sister's child as an heir, as had happened with Dozel a couple generations back) or his daughter becomes engaged, with her fiance becoming the next heir (as had happened with Father Claud's parents). Vylon, who had already resisted pressure to remarry, named Sigrid as his heiress as soon as her Brand surfaced.

(Arvis once asked Prince Kurth why his father had agreed. Apparently Vylon had gone to the king pleading that his wife was the only woman he could ever truly love, and he wanted the fruit of their marriage to be the one to inherit Chalphy. Azmur, who had likewise lost his wife a few years earlier, was deeply moved by his argument and agreed)

Well, boy or girl, he was sure he'd be able to love the child with all he had.

("A girl would be lovely, though!" That damned voice spoke up again once more. "A little girl to go with her big brother!")

Arvis scowled. He'd spent years ignoring the fact that Aida's child was at just the right age to have been conceived during the... incident at Velthomer a few years earlier. Now that Arvis had figured out what the Loptyr Sect truly had planned, he knew that Sigrid and their child were in danger. If Aida's son was truly his, then... Well, he'd have to have the discussion he'd been putting off when Aida returned. For now, he decided to rest.

 

The following day was fairly quiet. Bishop Palmarch brought the two village leaders who'd been having a dispute to the castle despite the fact that they'd been able to resolve things the day before. They both seemed rather confused, but returned home after having tea with Arvis.

For the rest of the day, Deirdre and Grahnye spent the day with Arvis, talking about their plan, with Deirdre finally getting some stories about her brother's marriage to Sigrid. Once evening set in, they waited to Aida to return.

As evening turned into night, however, Arvis began to grow concerned.

"It's not that far of a trip to Velthomer." He said, frowning. "Even if she stopped to rest for the night, she should have been here by now."  
"You don't think the Loptyr Sect caught her...?" Deirdre suggested fearfully.  
"What reason would they have to go after General Aida, though?" Grahnye tried to assauge their fears, but the worry remained until a servant knocked on the door ten minutes later.

"Duke Arvis, General Aida has arrived." He said. "But she's... not alone."

"It can't be..." Arvis got a horrified look on his face. "Did they-"

He was cut off by Aida storming into the room, accompanied by a middle-aged man and a young boy.

"I apologize for taking so long to return." Aida said stiffly, her face pale. "I... needed to pick up my father and son. Say hello, Saias."

The redheaded boy looked around the room before shyly saying hello as he hid behind his grandfather.

"Did something happen?" Arvis stared at Saias for a few seconds before turning back to Aida.  
"As a matter of fact, something did happen!" Aida rounded on Arvis, her wide eyes turning into a scowl. "After I picked up the formula, I stopped by my home to greet my family and let them know that it would be a few more days. I found my father unconscious on the floor and one of your "friends" interrogating my son, demanding he take his clothes off!"  
"What!?" Arvis gaped at her.

Deirdre looked back and forth at them, confused.

"Why would a Loptyrian go after your son?" She asked.  
"Um..." Saias stepped out from behind his grandfather. "I think he wanted to see my birthmark."  
"Birthmark?" Deirdre turned to see Arvis's face grow pale. "Aida, don't tell me..."

Aida nodded at her son, who began to pull his shirt off. On his chest, just a little under the base of his neck, was an unusual symbol Deirdre had never seen before.

"Is that... a Brand?" Deirdre wondered aloud.  
"Really?" Arvis asked. "All these years, and you only just now decide to tell me the truth!?"  
"Don't act like you've never wanted to ask, sir." Aida snapped back. "I know the question was always there in the back of your mind. I wanted _you_ to be the one to broach the subject."  
"Lord Brother?"

Arvis gave Deirdre an almost pained look before he began to open his own shirt. On the right side of his chest was a Brand identical to the one on Saias.

"So that's the brand of Crusader Fala? Then..."  
"Yes." Aida nodded. "He's your son, sir."

Arvis collapsed onto the sofa. Grahnye and Aida's father were both looking away awkwardly. Aida was waiting for someone to react. Saias, meanwhile, just looked like he wanted to be somewhere else.

"So... That makes you my nephew, then?" Deirdre spoke up, kneeling forward.  
"What?" Saias gave her a puzzled look. "Um..."  
"If my brother is your father, that makes me your aunt!" Deirdre explained.  
"Y-Yeah, that's how it works, I think." Saias nodded.

He appeared to be relaxing somewhat, and that seemed to bring the mood in the room up at least a little.

"At any rate, we need to discuss our next move." Grahnye declared. "I won't ask any questions about what happened between you in the past since I don't think it'll help us now. My only question is, what happened to the Loptyrian?"  
"He won't be speaking to anyone ever again." Aida said grimly. "Indeed, there's nothing left to speak to."  
"Alright, that's one problem solved, but..." Grahnye looked like she was regretting asking. "Bringing your family here was a smart move, but we have no way of ensuring Lady Sigrid's safety. We'll need to have King Azmur summon her to Belhalla."  
"I didn't bring them here to hide out." Aida shook her head. "I brought them here to leave."  
"What?"  
"I want you to take my father and my son to Leonster with you."

Before Grahnye could protest (or even respond at all), Aida said that it was no longer safe at Velthomer, and it wouldn't be long before the Loptyrians turned their eyes to Chalphy the longer they stayed there.

"We're doing this tonight." She declared, pulling the formula out of her bag.  
"Tonight!? But-"  
"You can't be seri-"  
"Very well then."

All eyes turned to Deirdre, who was now standing upright.

"Do what you need to do." She said, removing her circlet.  
"Deirdre, be reasonable!" Grahnye protested. "We haven't even confirmed our cover story yet!"  
"I think posing as a new recruit in the Roten Ritter should work."  
"Great minds think alike, it seems." Aida nodded. "This color is pretty close to mine. We could have you pose as my cousin. Saias, honey, can you get the blanket out of my bag?"

Aida's father, Cowen, argued that it would be easier to move under the cover of night. They could get to Belhalla by morning, and get to see the king by noon. Not to mention that if the Loptyrians had known one of their own was investigating Saias, it would put them on alert if he didn't report back. Moving quickly was of the utmost importance.

"Hmm." Aida frowned after she had the blanket wrapped around Deirdre's neck.  
"What's wrong?" Deirdre asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.  
"Some of the bottles got smashed during the fight, so I'm not sure I'll have enough to dye all of your hair."  
"Then let's cut it."

Within a few minutes, Deirdre could hardly recognize herself in the mirror. Her hair was short and boyish, and her Brand was covered up by makeup. Even her clothing was far different from what she was used to.

"Huh. I said it was close to my color, but it looks a lot more like yours, Duke Arvis." Aida snickered. "She could almost pass for your little brother."

After a brief discussion, it was determined that Grahnye, Cowen and Saias would remain at Chalphy until they received word that Deirdre had safely met the king. Then they would make their journey to Leonster.

"Good luck, Deirdre." Grahnye said as she hugged her goodbye.  
"Thank you, Grahnye." Deirdre whispered. "For everything."  
"Don't talk like this is goodbye for good." Grahnye shook her head. "Think positive!"  
"You sound like Sir Cuan!" Deirdre laughed.

Grahnye gave her a faux-disgusted look before hugging her one last time as they set off.

 

The trek to Belhalla took an extra few hours since they opted not to take the carriage, but even if they had, it likely still would have felt like an eternity.

Deirdre was the one who did most of the talking, and even she didn't do all that much, sensing the oppressive atmosphere between Arvis and Aida.

Arvis knew that the only reason they weren't talking about it was because they needed to keep their focus on getting Deirdre to Belhalla, but what were they going to do once she was safely there? Now that Arvis knew for sure that Saias was his son, he couldn't ignore him or what it meant for Velthomer.

The most logical thing to do would be to acknowledge the boy as his heir. While it would certainly harm his reputation as duke ("Fathering a bastard when he was 17!? What was he thinking!?" he could hear the people saying), he knew that he had no one to blame but himself and he was prepared to accept any sort of criticism that came his way.

What he was afraid of was how Sigrid and Azel would react.

He had promised Azel that he would never follow in their father's footsteps. They had only just recently begun to repair their brotherly relationship thanks to Sigrid. Was it going to crumble again?

And Sigrid... He had no idea how she would react to learning that he already had a child. He didn't think she would hate Saias, but Arvis didn't think she'd be happy, even if it had happened well before they got married. Worst case scenario, it'd lead to the end of their marriage.

And for Arvis, that sounded like a nightmare.

He'd proposed mainly to get everyone off his back about getting married. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but genuinely falling in love had not been part of the plan.

 _Was_ it genuine love, though? He'd never had anyone to tell him what it would feel like. Mother had left before he was old enough to understand it, and he doubted Father had ever genuinely loved anyone in his life. Azel's mother was too focused on raising her son and looking after Arvis to find a husband. There wasn't really anyone Arvis _could_ ask, even now.

...He really wished Sigrid were with him at that moment.

Early in the morning, they arrived in Belhalla and made their way to the castle. The guards greeted them sleepily before asking who Deirdre was.

"A new recruit in the Roten Ritter." He answered. "He's Aida's cousin."  
"H-Hello." Deirdre coughed before trying to lower her voice so that she sounded like a man.  
"Kinda girly-lookin', ain't he?" The guard noted.  
"I get that a lot." Deirdre laughed before going into a coughing fit.  
"He okay?"

Aida quickly explained that her cousin was still getting over a cold. It wasn't contagious, but it might be best to keep their distance at any rate. The guards were understanding and allowed them in without further argument. Once there was no one standing near them, Arvis whispered that even if they were inside, they needed to keep quiet so as not to draw attention to themselves. 

He told Deirdre to act natural, as though she'd been training for this.

She tried her best, but her face remained rather tense. Still, it seemed most of the staff bought Aida's story about Deirdre being a new recruit and seemed to assume that she was simply nervous about being in Belhalla Castle for the first time.

Getting to the king's room was a simple matter. Getting past the guards was a bit more complicated. Deirdre suggested that he and Aida could make a distraction, but Arvis quickly shot it down, explaining that the king's personal guards were specifically trained to _not_ leave their post if they heard a noise. That way, even if multiple assassins managed to sneak in, the king would at least be safe.

"I believe that policy began with King Azmur's father." Arvis noted. "Apparently the guards had been lured away with a strange interpretive dance. By the time they realized it was a trap, the king had already killed the assassin himself."  
"I heard that it was bread." Aida shook her head. " _Really good_ bread, if what my father heard was true, but still. Bread."

Deirdre didn't respond to any of this, only thinking to herself.

"If those two are the last ones we need to go through, maybe we could just tell them the truth?"  
"We don't know if they aren't spies." Arvis shook his head. "And even if they aren't, I doubt they'll let you just walk in, and if anyone else notices the commotion, it could go badly."  
"That's where you come in, isn't it, Lord Brother?" Deirdre smiled at him. "Maybe it's not those two that need to be distracted?"

In the end, Arvis and Aida agreed to watch the entrances to the hallway leading to the king's room while Deirdre spoke to the guards. All he could do was wait and hope that Deirdre would be able to convince them.

 

Deirdre had assumed that since the men guarding her grandfather had had specialized training, that they would be rather strict and stiff, but one of them was actually kind of friendly.

"Good morning!" He chirped in response to her greeting.

The other one stared at her, and she suddenly felt rather self-conscious.

"You're a girl, aren't you?" He said warily, and Deirdre saw him grip his weapon out of the corner of her eye. She then realized that she hadn't used her "man" voice when she'd said hello, despite being dressed like a man.

"I-I-I have a good reason for being dressed like this!" She exclaimed, and the cheerful guard shushed her.

She noticed that he was also beginning to grip his weapon.

Panicking, Deirdre licked her hand and started wiping it on her forehead.

"What the hell are you-" The surly guard, who for a second stared at her like she was insane, gaped at her as her Brand presumably became visible.

"You... You can see it, right?" She asked, knees shaking. "I don't have a mirror, so I can't tell if you ca-Eek!"

The surly guard reached out to touch her forehead, roughly rubbing his finger across the Brand.

"Dorian!" The cheerful guard protested, sounding exasperated.

"It's real." Dorian gasped as he pulled his hand away. "Sweet Naga, it's real."  
"Then... you believe me?" Deirdre asked, unsure of what was going to happen next. "Can I... speak to my grandfather? I-I have a lot that I need to tell him about."

Reluctantly, Dorian and the other guard opened the doors to King Azmur's room and Deirdre slowly stepped in.

The room was a decent size. It was much bigger than the rooms Deirdre had seen in the various castles she'd been to. In addition to the large number of bookshelves on the walls, there was a desk that looked like it hadn't been used in awhile near the corner of the room. Near the center of the room was a bed that seemed big enough for two people, but Deirdre could only see one person lying there.

"Is there a visitor for me?" A tired voice called from the bed. "Dorian? Zachariah?"

Deirdre realized that the cheerful guard had followed her into the room. Dorian must have been staying outside to keep watch.

"Indeed there is, Your Majesty." Zachariah said firmly. "We believe that this girl may be your granddaughter."

That got a reaction from the man lying in bed. He pulled himself up and Deirdre could see that he was an elderly man with a somewhat strange looking mustache. The man had a friendly looking face, but he was staring at her like a hawk stalking its prey.

"Come closer, young miss." He said.

Deirdre looked at Zachariah, who nodded. Slowly, she stepped toward the bed and kneeled down, already having a good idea of what Azmur was going to do.

Sure enough, he rubbed his finger on her forehead.

"I-I apologize if your finger gets dirty." She stuttered. "I had to cover it up before I got here so no one would figure out who I was before I got to speak with you."  
"And why is that, dear child?" Azmur appeared to be relaxing as he pulled his hand back. "No... I suppose I should be asking for your name first, shouldn't I?"

Deirdre cleared her throat and stood up. She stared him in the eye and declared,

"My name is Deirdre. I am the half-sister of Duke Arvis of Velthomer. My mother is Cigyun of the Spirit Forest. And my father... My father is Prince Kurth of Grannvale."

 

One of the guards called them to the king's room. Arvis let out a sigh of relief when he saw Deirdre standing by the king's bed. Aida excused herself, saying that she needed to return to Chalphy.

"Shouldn't you get some sleep first?" Deirdre argued. "We've all been up all night, but you had a rather... long day yesterday."  
"I thank you for the concern, Your Highness, but rest assured I fully intend to collapse on one of the beds at Chalphy once I've taken care of my business there." Aida pat her on the shoulder as she prepared to leave. "With the future Duke-Consort's permission, of course?"  
"Please, just go already." Arvis groaned. "Simply looking at you is making me tired."

Aida laughed, but said nothing more as she departed.

The king was somewhat surprised to learn that they were siblings, but he had realized years ago that his son had been a _bit_ too close to the Duchess-Consort of Velthomer for it to be a simple friendship brought on by sympathy, at least on his side. He'd simply never considered the possibility that she would reciprocate.

"I suppose I should apologize on his behalf, Duke Arvis." Azmur said solemnly. "Judging by Deirdre's age, I'm guessing that your mother fled because she learned that she was pregnant."

Arvis nodded, and Deirdre soon began to tell their mother's story. At long last, the secret of their heritage was being exposed. The king was shocked to learn that they carried the blood of the Dark God, but he did not appear to be angry or afraid. Perhaps it was a sign that Arvis's fears were misplaced.

Or, the more cynical side of him argued, it was a sign of just how desperate the king was to find an heir that he would ignore the fact that they carried such a thing in their blood.

"You must understand that you can never tell anyone about this." Azmur finally said when Deirdre finished. "Arvis, is your wife aware of your heritage?"  
"Yes." Arvis nodded. "In fact, it was she who located Deirdre in the Spirit Forest and realized her identity."

Again, Deirdre told her story. How she'd been raised to avoid men, how she'd met Sigrid and learned who she was, of how she'd arrived in Grannvale and met her brother. The reason they'd been so secretive, she explained, was because the Loptyr Sect was aware of her existence. They doubtlessly wanted to use her and her brother to revive Loptyr.

"Were you aware of this, Arvis?"

Arvis hesitated, but Deirdre gave him an encouraging nod.

"I... The Loptyr Sect's High Priest, Manfroy, has been keeping watch over me since I was a child." He admitted. "Several years ago, he told me he'd learned you had a granddaughter, and he wanted me to marry her once she was located. I agreed, though I decided to propose to Sigrid in the meantime."  
"Have you still not heard from her?"  
"Not by choice."

Azmur listened neutrally as Arvis and Deirdre explained that their mail had been monitored and intercepted. His face went from mildly curious to alarmed as apprehension began to dawn on him. 

Finally, he stopped Arvis from speaking.

"Arvis, I have two questions for you." He said lowly, almost growling. "Did the Loptyr Sect have anything to do with my son's death, and if so, did you know about it?"

Arvis swallowed hard before answering.

"I can't say for sure, but I strongly suspect that that is indeed the case. I only know they intended for me to marry the prince's daughter. I didn't know anything about an assassination." He shook his head. "At the very least, I don't think my father-in-law had any hand in it, and I _know_ my wife had nothing to do with it."

Azmur nodded, but said that Arvis's word would not be enough to convince Reptor and Langobalt. He asked Arvis to have a message sent to Edda.

"You're going to call for Father Claud?"

When Deirdre gave them a puzzled look, Arvis explained that Claud was a direct descendant of Crusader Blaggi, and could therefore divine the truth at the Tower of Blaggi in Orgahill.

"Orgahill... That's just north of Agustria, isn't it? We could go with him!"  
"I don't think that's wise, Deirdre. At some point, the Loptyrians are going to realize that you aren't with Sigrid's army anymore, assuming they haven't already noticed." Arvis shook his head. 

"If they find out that you've made it here and learned that I'm your brother, they might take desperate action. Worst case scenario, they storm right into Belhalla. Right now, the palace is the safest place you could be. We can try to make a trip a few days later."

Deirdre pouted, but Arvis put his foot down.

"Don't give me that look. I want to see Sigrid and our child too, but I know the big picture here.."  
"Child?" Azmur gave Arvis a curious look. "Is Sigrid expecting?"  
"Yes!" Deirdre answered excitedly. "She's probably already had the baby by now."

Azmur seemed happy for them, but he agreed that it would be wiser if Arvis and Deirdre stayed put at the moment. Besides, he chuckled, he had some catching up to do with his granddaughter.

While he and Deirdre chatted about Deirdre's life in the army, Arvis left to send a message to Edda.

 

Father Claud was a fairly beautiful man with hair about as long as Deirdre's. He greeted her politely, and expressed joy that her grandfather had finally found her. It was somewhat surprising to hear that he was still single, but Deirdre simply shrugged.

He was quickly brought up to speed on what needed to be done.

"True." He nodded when Azmur finished his request. "I've heard that Duke Reptor and Duke Langobalt have both been rather restless since we received word of Prince Kurth's death. They're both fairly certain that Duke Vylon and Duke Ring are responsible."  
"Of course, an unidentified corpse was found not far from where Prince Kurth's body was found, which raises some questions." Arvis noted. "We still don't know the whereabouts of Ring _or_ Vylon. Given how close the two were to the prince, it's entirely possible that one of them was killed trying to protect him, and his body was mutilated to conceal that fact."

If that were true, that meant that the corpse was that of either Sigrid's father or Adean's. Neither thought was particularly comforting. Not only was the father of a dear friend dead, but the man in question would never get to see his grandchild. In Ring's case, he wouldn't even get to see his oldest daughter again, assuming that she really _was_ alive as Adean believed.

"But... the Loptyr Sect _would_ make a great deal of sense." Claud noted. "If they truly are aware of Duke Arvis and Princess Deirdre being half-siblings, then of course they would want to get rid of the one person who would know that for sure."  
"Even after all these years, I believe that Kurth was in love with Lady Cigyun until the very end." Azmur nodded. "Really, I should have realized that she was her daughter as soon as I laid eyes on her. But it had been so many years..."

Deirdre pointed out that her hair had been a different color, too. There was still a small amount of the formula in her pouch. Once it was safe to leave, Deirdre was going to use it so that she could keep her disguise when they returned to Agustria.

"Come to think of it..." Claud suddenly mused. "Is it possible that the Loptyr Sect has made contact with Reptor and Langobalt? Maybe _they're_ the true source of the rumors."

The room fell silent as all eyes moved to Arvis.

"I-I can't say for sure." Arvis shook his head. "I suspect Reptor may have had a hand in the death of King Mannanan, but that _could_ have been related to the war."  
"King Mannanan wanted to end the war quickly, did he not?" Claud asked. "But he was killed before he could meet with Prince Kurth. It seems rather suspicious."

By now, the room was filling with unease at the realization that they might not simply have the Loptyrians to worry about.

"Grandfather." Deirdre asked. "Where... was Duke Reptor at the time of my father's death?"  
"He was visiting his new daugher-in-law's family with his son." Azmur shook his head. "I know this for certain, because they stopped by on the way."  
"And Duke Langobalt?"  
"I haven't asked him." Azmur looked down. "If he and Reptor hadn't insisted that Vylon and Sigrid were responsible for your father's death, I never would have even _considered_ the possibility that someone from Grannvale would do such a thing."

From what Deirdre had heard, her father was a beloved figure in Grannvale. Adean told her that her father, Duke Ring, viewed him as not merely a liege, but a close friend as well. His affair with her mother had been brought on by sympathy for her having been married to Arvis's father (who she could gather was not an upstanding man by any stretch of the imagination), but it turned into a love that led to Deirdre's own birth. If Deirdre's mother hadn't fled when she realized that she was pregnant, how would her life have turned out? Would Kurth have married Cigyun upon the death of her husband? Would he have defended her when the truth about the affair came out? Deirdre suspected that he would have.

For such a man to be killed by his own people, by those who had vowed to serve the royal family loyally... It was a very disquieting thought.

They decided that it would look suspicious to send him there so soon, so they opted to wait a few days. Claud needed to time to prepare for the journey anyway. When they felt it was safe, he returned to Belhalla, where Arvis warned him to be careful as he passed through Freege.

"Even if Reptor had nothing to do with the prince's death, I suspect he knows that Sigrid and Vylon didn't, either. If he learns that you intend to find out the truth at Blaggi Tower, he might attempt to... interfere."  
"Of course." Claud agreed. "I'll send a letter as soon as I arrive at Agusty, so you'll know you can make your way there."  
"I don't think that's a good idea." Deirdre shook her head. "We know that our mail has been monitored. It might not be safe to send a letter."  
"We'll wait a few days before we attempt to make our way there." Arvis nodded. "Focus on finding the truth."

Claud accepted this and departed.

"It takes about three days to get to Agusty from here on foot." Arvis explained. "Of course, if the weather is bad, it might cause a delay. With any luck, however, he'll at least get to Agusty before anyone in Freege figures out what's going on."

Madino was going to be the real issue. It was south of the bridge between Agustria and Orgahill, and it was still under Agustrian control. While things were peaceful now, it was entirely possible that King Chagall would refuse passage for any Grannvaleans seeking to get to Orgahill. This wasn't something they could really do anything about, so all they could do was wait.

Five days later, they learned that fighting had erupted in Agustria. From the sounds of it, King Chagall sent troops to Agusty from Madino. Finally, Deirdre made up her mind.

"I want to go to Agustria." She told Arvis. "I know that you said we should stay put for a few days, but I can't stand by while my friends are fighting. Not only that, but the fighting will make it harder for Father Claud to get to Blaggi Tower."  
"I knew you'd say that." Arvis sighed. "And I can't very well let you go alone."  
"I can hold down the fort until you return." Azmur smiled at them.

While he wasn't fully recovered, meeting his granddaughter had given him a burst of energy that he hadn't had since the war with Isaach began. The servants around the castle noted that he was smiling more than he had in months. Aida, who had returned to Velthomer after seeing her family off at Chalphy, was also going to be staying nearby, caring for Azmur in Arvis's stead.

"When you get there, I want you to give Sigrid orders to return to Grannvale." He said as he handed a scroll with a seal on it to Arvis. "The sooner she returns, the sooner this mess can be cleared up. I want to make the announcement of Deirdre's arrival, too."  
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Arvis knelt down. "I swear that I will make sure your granddaughter arrives and returns safely."  
"I know you will." Azmur chuckled. "And please, do bring your child by when you get back."  
"Of course." Arvis nodded before turning to Aida. "General Aida, I expect we'll have a lot to talk about when we return."  
"We will, indeed."

Before they left, Deirdre hugged her grandfather tightly, as though it would be the last time she'd see him.

If only she'd known at the time that it would be.

 

Aida arrived at the castle, told them that Deirdre had safely met the king, and then collapsed in the room she shared with her son.

Much like before, they decided it would be best if they left under the cover of night. It would also give Aida time to say goodbye to her father and son.

Though she seemed annoyed to see that they were still there when they woke up, Aida also seemed grateful for the chance to hug her son.

"I _am_ a mother myself, you know." Grahnye rolled her eyes as Aida thanked her in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Saias seemed concerned that his mother wasn't going with them. 

"I know dear, but I still have some things to clear up with Duke Arv- Your father." Aida corrected herself. "While there's still a lot going on, he and I need to have a long talk about some things. I also have to make sure things are okay back home, too."

He still didn't seem happy, but he accepted his mother's logic.

As Cowen was making sure Saias was ready, Aida held her hand out to Grahnye.

"I understand that I basically strong-armed you into doing this, but I want to thank you for taking them with you."

"Will you send for them once things calm down?" Grahnye nodded as she accepted Aida's handshake.  
"If things calm down, yes."

Grahnye gave her a concerned look, and Aida looked away.

"The cultist that I killed..." She murmured. "There was a mad look in his eyes. He was in pain as I was burning him, but he didn't seem afraid. He even taunted me that he was nothing more than a pawn, a vessel carrying out Loptyr's will. The last thing he said was that the Dark God _would_ return, and that he would bring oblivion to those that tried to prevent it."

Finally, she looked back at Grahnye and said that she wasn't sure the steps they were taking were going to be enough.

Before Grahnye could respond, Aida hugged her father tightly before kneeling down and hugging her son one last time, telling him to behave while they were separated.

"Of course, Mother." Saias agreed. "Um... But I can't really do that while you're hugging me."

Aida said nothing as she tightly squeezed her son. When she finally let go, she turned away as they departed, but Grahnye could tell she was watching until they were out of sight.

Saias proved to be a polite and thoughtful child. He offered to carry Ares whenever Grahnye's arms got tired, and he was happy to sing lullabies whenever he got fussy. Cowen seemed proud of his kind grandchild, and he was also happy to help Grahnye when she struggled to keep up. As far as traveling companions went, Grahnye decided that she certainly could have done worse.

Upon arriving at Edda, they stopped at an inn for what was left of the night before setting out in the early morning. Once they were safely over the border between Manster and Grannvale, Grahnye allowed herself to relax somewhat.

Saias was also something of a curious child, asking many questions about Leonster and her family.

"I apologize for Saias, Lady Grahnye." Cowen apologized as Saias got a drink of water from a from a nearby well.  
"It's fine, Cowen." Grahnye shook her head.  
"Still, you've done quite a bit for us. Once we arrive in Leonster, we'll find a place to wait out the trouble in Grannvale."  
"I assumed you were going to be staying with my family." Grahnye gave him a puzzled look.  
"Goodness, no!" Cowen protested, saying that they'd already imposed on her enough as it was.

Grahnye was insistent, however; As one of Leonster's top knights, her father had a decent sized home near the castle that would certainly have room for both Cowen and Saias. It would also provide a better place to hide than an inn. They didn't know if the Loptyr Sect had its eyes on Manster, after all. Cowen reluctantly admitted that it would be easier on both of them to stay in one place than to move from inn to inn.

"Then it's decided." Grahnye smiled as Saias returned.

After boarding a boat to take them across the water, they spent another night at an inn. The following morning, they made the rest of the trip to Leonster, arriving late in the evening.

Grahnye's parents were happy to see their daughter and grandson arrive safely. Grahnye introduced Cowen and Saias as the family of a friend in a similar situation, asking that they be permitted to stay for a short while. Accepting Grahnye's story, they welcomed their guests with open arms.

For a few days, everything seemed fine. Cowen began to develop a friendship with Grahnye's father, and her mother doted on Saias as though he were her own grandchild.

(Ares was still a little young for bonding with his grandparents, after all)

A few weeks after their arrival, however, Grahnye's father returned home one evening from the castle with a grim look on his face.

"It looks like King Azmur of Grannvale has been assassinated." He said lowly. "And it sounds like it was done by a woman from Chalphy."  
"One of the Grannvalean duchies?" Grahnye's mother gasped. "How terrible! One of his own subjects."

Grahnye knew that that was completely impossible. She wanted to protest, saying that Sigrid had been nowhere near Belhalla in months.

But what good would it do? Grahnye was only one person, after all. She'd never picked up a sword or a tome, or anything could be considered a weapon. She had done the only thing she could do, and that was escort her friend to her father's homeland. Now that that had been done, there was nothing more that she could do to help.

Grahnye of Nordion had known from an early age that she was not meant for greatness. And for the first time in her life, she hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorian the guard is kind of an ass, but only because he takes his job seriously.
> 
> Now we have a few more deviations from the game. In FE4, we only know Azmur died during the 17 years that followed the end of Gen 1, but he was still alive by the time the Battle of Belhalla happened. Here, though, he's dead well before it happens, and it becomes another thing Sigurd (or rather, Sigrid) gets blamed for. Thankfully, he has some advisors that can run Grannvale in his place until a proper heir(ess) is found. Saias has also ended up in Leonster with Ares. Whether or not he'll stay there is... unknown.
> 
> Incidentally, the reason the Loptyrian went after Saias is because he knew that Aida was at Chalphy and wouldn't be home for a couple days. He hadn't counted on her to return. Also, his only goal was to see if Saias had a Brand. Saias was only in danger of having his Brand discovered and being killed.


	6. Lionheart Eldigan (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle in Agustria continues, but things soon take a turn for the worse.

Sigurd immediately ordered everyone who wasn't being healed to come to the hall, where he explained what was going on.

To say that Lex was upset to learn that his best friend was being held hostage with his wife and unborn child was something of an understatement. He shouted at Sigurd, demanding to know what the hell he was thinking. Even Ayra could barely hold him back, though Lex made no attempt to harm us.

If Sigurd had been in his own body, though, he apparently would have.

"We are **going** to mount a rescue mission, Lex." Eldigan stepped between Lex and us, crossing his arms. "But you need to calm down."  
"I just want to know _why_ you thought that was a good idea!" Lex demanded. "Even if the rumor really is true, it was a huge risk. And now four of our people are being held hostage."

 _Five_ , Sigurd thought to himself, glancing around the room. Most of the room seemed tense. Midayle was comforting Misau and Tiarca. Holyn was glancing out the window watching for Ferry and Claud.

"Adean was adamant that she go once she learned about the rumors." Sigurd said. "I've known her since we could barely walk: She can be just as stubborn as Ethlyn when she wants to be."

Ethlyn rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"What's done is done." Sigurd continued. "We have to focus on rescuing our friends."  
"Ma'am, what about Chagall?" Noish spoke up.

"Who cares!?" Lex whirled around on Noish. "He's bound to be low on troops by now. We should just charge into Madino and-"  
"Absolutely not." Eldigan growled. "We are not threatening Agustria's stability any more than it already has been."  
"Big words from someone who almost fought his best friend becau-"  
"ENOUGH!"

It was not Sigurd, but Ethlyn who had shouted.

"Were either of you listening?" She glared at Lex and Eldigan. "Our focus needs to be on rescuing our friends. We can bicker later."

Oifey stepped forward, looking somewhat nervous.

"It's true that Chagall's troops are likely depleted, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to charge directly into Madino with all of our forces." He briefly looked down at his feet before looking up again. "We should try sneaking half our forces across."

"How?" Sigurd looked at him incredulously. "Some of us are cavalry. We won't be able to get our horses across the water. And even sneaking the people without horses over the water would take too long with only two people flying pegasi."  
"That's... something I'm still thinking about." Oifey looked away awkwardly. "I thought disguises might work, but..."  
"There's a chance we'll just end up looking suspicious." Sigurd finished for him.

At any rate, no one else had any other options they could think of, so they began to go about making their disguises.

Sigurd decided to disguise himself (or rather, disguise _me_ ) as a man. Ethlyn said that she'd believe it when she saw it.

Hmph. So she's still upset that hers didn't get as big as mine when she got pregnant.

After clipping my hair to look more like his had been in his real body, he tied my breasts down as much as he could without cutting off circulation.

"Oh ho!" Ethlyn said from the doorway. "So you _can_ get those duckys under control. I don't have to worry about you after all."  
"Very funny." Sigurd answered gruffly.  
"And I know I didn't have to worry about your voice being convincing." Ethlyn giggled, deliberately raising her voice pitch.  
"At least I don't sound like a drunk squirrel." Sigurd snapped back.  
"...I'm sorry." Surprisingly, Ethlyn apologized. "I guess I'm just worried about how this is going to go. This isn't a regular battle, it's a stealth mission, too."

Sigurd stared at her for a moment before remembering something from his own ti-wait, what?

"Ethlyn, could you be..." He hesitated for a moment. "By chance, is there a possibility that you might be pregnant?"

Ethlyn's eyes grew wide for a second before narrowing into a glare.

"Are you still mad that Adean and I kept pestering you about before!?" She scowled. "Or have you developed a sixth sense for that sort of thing?"  
"I prefer to think of it as a sort of... women's intuition." Sigurd stuck my tongue out at her teasingly. "But no, I'm not angry."

He stepped toward Ethlyn and hugged her.

"Cuan knows, right?"  
"Yes, of course." Ethlyn nodded before explaining that she hadn't seen a doctor yet, but she was fairly certain. Her cycle had always been pretty regular, so for it to skip was a sign that something had changed in her body.

It felt weird to Sigurd for Ethlyn to be so honest with him about such subjects. He'd apparently never really spoken to her about it before.

"How's he taking it?"  
"He's happy, of course. He grew up as an only child, so he's thrilled that Altena might get to grow up with a younger sibling."

Come to think of it, both Sigurd and I remember Cuan seeming jealous whenever Eldigan and I spent time with our little sisters. I suppose it made him feel left out. Having two children would at least make sure Altena wouldn't have that sort of loneliness. 

The only trouble was, neither Cuan nor Ethlyn would see their children grow up together.

Sigurd was forced to flee to Silesse after being framed for the death of Prince Kurth. Sixth months into his exile, Cuan and Ethlyn returned to Leonster with Finn in order to gather more support for him. When Grannvalean forces began to march on Silesse in order to reclaim Sigurd, he chose to leave and make his way to Belhalla himself. Once he reached Phinora, however, he received word that Leonster's Crown Prince had been killed by Thracian Dracoknights in the Yied Desert. Not only that, but a young woman traveling with them had been killed as well. It could have only been Ethlyn.

The thought of my sister and best friend being killed, forcing their children to grow up as orphans was unbearable. Keeping them safe was perhaps the first thing Sigurd and I were fully in sync about.

I'm not sure which of us squeezed Ethlyn a bit tighter before she protested that we were being silly, but I don't think either of us was going to complain.

 

Before long, Misau and Tiarca were flying toward the hideout of the Orgahill pirates, taking Holyn and Ayra as their passengers. As those making their way to Madino began to prepare to march, one of the Cross Knights shouted from the castle's lookout point that he could see two people making their way toward Agusty from the south.

Sigurd hesitated. He knew that rescuing Adean and the others was paramount, but this wasn't something he'd been expecting.

"What do they look like?" Eldigan shouted back to the lookout.

He answered that he couldn't tell because they were both wearing hoods.

Sigurd gulped. It was possible that it was Arvis and Deirdre, but it was also possible that they were Loptyrians. He gave the order to wait until they arrived.

Once the mysterious visitors were at the castle gates, it became clear one of them was indeed my husband. Though the person next to him had red hair and was was dressed in men's clothing, Sigurd knew that it was Deirdre.

Without thinking, Sigurd threw himself at both of them.

(Not that I would have handled it much better, mind)

"I'm so glad..." He sobbed. "I'm so happy you're here."

He pulled them closer, as though they'd slip out of his fingers if he didn't keep them there.

Gently, both of them returned the hug.

Sigurd escorted them both inside, where Shanan and Oifey were looking after Celice. Shanan, who had developed something of a sour opinion of Arvis for not being there when Celice was born, scowled as he handed her to her father.

"She's beautiful." Arvis whispered, sounding almost breathless. For a few minutes, he said nothing, only cherishing the fact that he was holding his daughter in his arms. When he finally handed her over to Deirdre, he turned to us and said that he had some things that he needed to talk to us about.

"I..." Sigurd glanced at Eldigan, who was watching with a neutral face. "I think I have some things I need to tell you as well, but..."  
"But it'll have to wait until the rescue mission has been completed." Cuan spoke up. "Your brother and sister-in-law are being held captive in Orgahill."  
"What!?" Arvis exclaimed, prompting a "shush" from Deirdre, who took a step back as she tried to comfort the now-startled Celice.

Sigurd explained the situation as Arvis's face grew grim.

"I see." He replied. "Then we don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Quickly, it was determined that Arvis and Deirdre would both accompany their group to Orgahill. Luckily, Arvis's face wasn't known, and Deirdre was already in disguise, so no more time was wasted.

The army set out toward Madino, arriving as dawn was beginning to peak over the horizion. Thankfully, the Madino guards let us through without any questions, and we soon made our way toward the bridge. We took a brief break to get some sleep, but we soon arrived at the bridge between Agustria and Orgahill.

Or rather, we arrived at where the bridge was **supposed** to be. Sigurd swore, remembering that the pirates had removed it before. Thankfully, Dew was able to build a new bridge fairly quickly, but the fact that it had been missing in the first place was cause for concern.

If they got rid of the bridge, Sigurd thought to himself, then they might have already gotten started on their pillaging. Which meant that Blaggi Tower was likely already being targeted.

"What's wrong?" Arvis, noticing the concerned expression on my face, placed his hand on my shoulder.  
"I'm worried about Blaggi Tower." Sigurd explained, pointing out that the pirates had gone to the trouble to cut Orgahill off from Agustria.  
"That's true." Arvis looked up, eyes widening in surprise. "But at the very least, I don't think we have to worry about Father Claud."

When Sigurd looked up, he could see a Pegasus Knight flying around the group, observing them.

"Ferry?" He called out. "Is that you?"

Having heard her name, Ferry came in for a landing, surprised to see that the group had left Agusty.

"Change of plans." Sigurd gave her an ironic smile. "Turns out sending Adean to the Orgahill Pirates wasn't a particularly good idea."

Accepting this, Ferry and Claud rejoined with the group.

"Duke Arvis, it's good to see you again." Claud said, shaking his hand.  
"Indeed." Arvis nodded. "I trust you were able to see the truth?"  
"Yes." Claud gave him a grim look. "And it's as we feared."

As the march toward the pirates' hideout continued, Claud explained that Reptor and Langobalt were indeed part of the conspiracy that led to Prince Kurth's death. Not only that, but so was Duke Ring's son, Andorey.

"What about my father?" Ethlyn asked. "And Duke Ring?"  
"I can't say for sure." Claud shook his head. Because time was of the essence, he'd only been able to determine who was involved. He didn't know who had carried out the killing or if there were any other victims. "Andorey returned to Grannvale a few months ago, saying that he and his father had gotten separated during the war."

Before the discussion could continue, however, the army came across several pirates making their way west. While it didn't take long to dispatch them, it was enough to make Sigurd decide to set up camp for the night.

The following morning, Sigurd had the army make their way to the hideout, arriving just before noon. From the corner of my eye, he thought he saw something flying past Blaggi Tower.

 _Travant's Dracoknights._ He thought with a shudder. Chagall had hired them to help take back Agusty before. Taking them out hadn't been an issue, but he was fairly certain that Travant was the one who had killed Ethlyn and Cuan. If he was among them, Sigurd could...

No, there was no time for that. They needed to focus on Orgahill for now. The Cross Knights could handle the Dracoknights if they tried to take Agusty. Just focus, Sigurd. **Focus!**

"Say..." Alec spoke up. "Doesn't it seem kinda quiet?"

Sigurd blinked as he gazed at the old castle that the Orgahill Pirates had made their home. He'd heard that they had at least fifty members, and the army couldn't have faced more than fifteen the night before. Assuming they were all still at their home base, there should still have been about 35 of them inside, but Sigurd hadn't seen any movement from the castle since they arrived.

"Where are the Pegasus Knights?" Tailto asked, trying to search for their comrades. "You told them to wait on standby until we got here, right?"

Growing fearful, Sigurd rushed toward the castle, ignoring the shouts of Arvis, Ethlyn and the others. As he did, he scanned the area. He could see some stray feathers that seemed to come from a pegasus, but that was the only clue that a Pegasus Knight had been there, and it might not have even been Misau or Tiarca. For all he knew, the feathers might not have even come from Tethi or Sesanva's pegasi. Orgahill _was_ south of Silesse, after all. The wind could have carried those feathers from there.

Of course, there was no sign of any of the others. In fact, there was no sign of any pirates, either. It was like the entire area had been abruptly abandoned by humans. But that didn't make any-

Sigurd froze as he heard the door to the castle creak open. Gripping the Silver Sword, he prepared to charge. He saw a pirate poke his head out the door, looking to see if there was anyone outside. Luckily, Sigurd was in his blind spot. He dismounted my horse and charged toward the pirate, ready to remove the red-haired man's head from his shoulders.

"SIGRID, STOP!" He heard Arvis scream. "THAT'S AZEL!"

Though he heard the words, they didn't appear to register with Sigurd until the sword was mere inches from the man's throat. The man fell over in surprise when he realized that Sigurd was coming, and began staring up at us in shock. Looking at his face, he did appear to be Azel.

Before he had time to consider this, Sigurd heard a woman shout "No!" before he felt something fly past my head and hit the wall to our left. Turning my head as much as he could without giving the man on the ground an opportunity to get away, he saw the end of an arrow before he turned his gaze toward the person who'd fired it.

A pregnant woman with long, golden hair was kneeling on the ground as she gripped the arm of a woman holding a beautiful bow. The two appeared to be very much alike in terms of appearance, but their expressions were subtly different. The kneeling woman's expression was nearly identical to that of the man Sigurd had nearly killed, while the archer's face held some confusion.

They weren't the only ones in the room, which Sigurd noticed had a strange smell. There were five other women and one man staring at Sigurd in surprise. They were all dressed like pirates, but their clothing didn't appear to fit them. Even the man's clothes seemed to be too large.

"Sigrid?" The kneeling woman asked. "Is-Is that you?"  
"Adean?" Sigurd's gaze moved to her. "Are you... okay?"

Before anyone could say more, Sigurd heard footsteps rushing toward them. He felt someone push his arm away from the man on the ground.

"L-Lord Brother!?" The man seemed stunned as Arvis pulled him into his arms.  
"Are you hurt?" Arvis demanded. "Ethlyn, get over here!"  
"N-No, I'm fine! I'm not hurt!"

"What about the others?" Deirdre asked as she hurried toward them. "Is everyone okay?"  
"Deirdre!?" Adean gasped. "You're here, too? Wait..."

Adean blinked before asking,

"What happened to your hair?"

And that finally seemed to break the tension. The archer burst into laughter.

"Really, Adean!?" She choked out. "That's your first question? I nearly kill your brother-in-law's wife and you focus on your friend's hair?"

She suddenly stopped laughing and looked at us, lowering her bow.

"You... You ARE Sigrid, right?" She asked. "I have vague memories of a girl named Sigrid from when I was a kid, but... well, like I said. Girl."  
"Well, we had to get through Madino somehow." Sigurd replied, slumping to the ground. "At least I can take these bandages off."

He started to pull the shirt up before Ethlyn (who'd slipped up the steps when Arvis called her) pulled it back down. Sigurd scowled before he looked around the room. There were several corpses laying around, and there didn't appear to be a surface in the room that didn't have any blood on it. There even appeared to be some on the ceiling.

Well, I guess that explained the strange smell.

 

Soon, everyone realized what was going on. Ferry rushed to her squad and pulled all of them into tight hugs. Once Misau was freed from her grip, she found herself in Midayle's, though she didn't seem particularly upset about it.

Azel and Ayra were both caught in a bear hug by Lex while Adean had Ethlyn to fuss over her. Briggid allowed Sigurd to hug her awkwardly, but made no move to interfere in her sister's reunions.

Sesanva explained that the pirates had locked them all in one cell. While they'd taken most of their weapons, they left Adean alone since she was a Cleric (and thus, unarmed as far as they knew). Someone needed to heal her and Tethi, after all. Since Adean had the Yewfelle on her, she handed it over to her sister, allowing her to regain her memories. After that, they formed a plan; For the first few hours, they made constant noise to annoy the guards. Then they abruptly stopped and concealed themselves behind the door. When the guards peeked through the window and saw they weren't there, they entered the cell, allowing them to pounce.

That led to other pirates showing up, but they were no match for Briggid. After that, they'd located their weapons and were going to sneak out when they heard a commotion near the back.

"We were going to stay hidden until you got here, but..." Holyn explained.  
"But one of their lookouts popped up out of nowhere and we had to silence him...." Ayra continued.  
"But he was really loud and the noise brought other pirates..." Misau added.  
"And it sort of spiralled into a bloodbath from there." Tiarca finished.

"No kidding." Briggid snorted. "They're clean now, but they were completely covered in blood earlier. I thought they were monsters!"

Before long, everyone universally agreed to make their way back to Agusty. By the time they reached the bridge, the sun was beginning to dip over the horizon. As they approached, however, Eldigan spotted something heading towards them from Madino.

"Eldigan, aren't those-"  
"Eve!" Eldigan moved forward and shouted toward the riders. "What's the situation?"

"Ma'am, troops from Grannvale showed up!" It was not Eve or either of his brothers who answered, but Oifey, who was riding on Eve's horse. A quick glance at Alva showed that Shanan was seated in front of him, holding Celice tightly.

"How did you get away!?" Ayra's face grew pale as she ran toward Alva's horse.  
"Some Dracoknights from Thracia showed up at the same time." Eva moved his horse to dodge Ayra, who showed no sign of trying to avoid any obstacles. "They're fighting right now, but it's just a matter of time before they notice that Lady Sigrid isn't there.  
"Why would they come for my sister?" Ethlyn stepped forward. "It would be enough to send a message to summon her back, and her husband already came here with one."  
"They're not here to summon her to Belhalla." Shanan shook his head. "I heard the man with glasses at the gate. They're here to arrest her."

Gasps of shock rang around us, particularly from Arvis and Deirdre.

"The king already knows that Sigrid had no hand in Prince Kurth's death!" Arvis stepped forward. "If Reptor and Langobalt are here on that baseless rumor-"  
"That's just it." Oifey looked down. "They're not just here about Prince Kurth."  
"What?"

"King Azmur is dead." Alva spoke up. "And apparently there was a witness who said they saw a woman from Chalphy killing him and abducting Princess Deirdre."  
"WHAT!?"  
"No way!"  
"That's impossible!"

Nearly everyone around us went into an uproar at the accusation. Deirdre stood where she was, frozen, but it was easy to see the tears beginning to form in her eyes at the discovery that her grandfather was dead mere weeks after their first meeting. Arvis was gaping at the Cross Knights. Eve explained that the knights stationed at Agusty Castle had noticed the Dracoknights heading toward them and had been preparing to go to battle when Reptor and Langobalt showed up. The Cross Knight Eldigan had left in charge was ordered to turn me over to them. Instead, he had Eve and his brothers take the children to Madino to warn us.

"I appreciate the thought, but I think they already know what's going on." Briggid had hurried to the top of the hill upon hearing Eve's story, and was now walking back to the group. "There's a battle going on at Agusty all right, but some of the troops are heading this way."  
"We'll need to act fast." Arvis regained his composure and stepped forward. "As it stands, we're lucky that the Dracoknights are distracted at Agusty. If they notice that we're here, they might turn their attack on us."  
"And if the people of Madino get caught in the crossfire, the situation is liable to get even worse." Eldigan finished for him.

Sigurd glanced back toward the pirates' hideout. Last time, they'd been lucky that they were close enough to the sea that they'd been able to flee to Silesse well before Reptor and Langobalt's troops arrived. Once they got to Silesse, they learned that Tailto's younger sister had found out what her father had been planning and secretly run away to Silesse. She took the family seal and went before Queen Rahna to plead for her help. Ironically, she hadn't known that Rahna already had good reason to offer assistance; namely, the fact that Rahna's son was with the group Ethnia was sure her sister had joined up with.

 _This_ time, though, there was still a fair distance between them and the pirates' hideout, and Reptor and Langobalt's troops were beginning to get closer to Madino. This was not an ideal place for a battle, particularly with the children being right there in the midst of it.

Sigurd ordered Misau and Sesanva to take the children to the hideout. If push came to shove, they could at least flee to Silesse on the Orgahill ships, if there were any remaining. He glanced at Briggid, who nodded.

"I doubt Reptor and Langobalt will be content to let us simply leave, Sigrid." Arvis said skeptically.  
"I know." Sigurd nodded. "That's why we're going to confront them. If those dastards think they can kill our liege and pin the crime on us, they've got another thing coming. I just don't want to put the children at risk."

"We'll keep watch, ma'am." Misau stepped forward and saluted. "If at any point it looks like you've lost control of the battle, we will take the children to Silesia and petition Her Majesty to offer asylum."  
"But I'm sure it won't come to that." Sesanva agreed. "We've been with your group for around a year now. If anyone could take the armies of both Freege and Dozel, it's you."

Oifey had looked like he wanted to protest at Misau's words, but said nothing and climbed onto her pegasus as Sesanva pulled Shanan onto hers. Once the two Pegasus Knights were out of sight, it became a race against the clock. There was still a couple hours before the Grannvale army would reach Madino, but those hours needed focus on preparing for the arrival.

About an hour after Misau and Sesanva left, Eldigan pulled Sigurd over to whisper.

"Are you going to tell Arvis the truth?" He asked. "About... you know."

Sigurd hesitated.

"We're about to go to battle, Eldie." He looked away.  
"I know." Eldigan rolled his eyes. "I mean _after_ the battle. I think you should tell him the truth."

When Sigurd didn't respond, Eldigan continued.

"I don't think it's fair for you to hide this from him. You're not his wife, but he thinks you are."  
"That's true." Sigurd agreed.  
"I think it'll help you get a better grasp of your own feelings, too, if he knows the truth."  
"...If I'm going to tell him, I'll need to tell Deirdre, too."  
"I'll back you up." Eldigan nodded.

He turned away to look for his Cross Knights. Sigurd pause for a moment as he considered Eldigan's words. Once he made the decision to search for Arvis, he turned around, only to bump into the man in question.

"Arvis!" He gasped. "I was just about to look for you."  
"I know. I heard you." Arvis gestured to his tent, which they were standing in front of.  
"Oh!" Sigurd gave a small laugh. "...Catching up on some sleep?"  
"These past few weeks have been rather... turbulent." Arvis smiled wryly. "I've gained a younger half-sister and... and a daughter, but there have been very few people I could discuss the subject with."

Sigurd decided not to comment on the pause, and simply told Arvis that once the battle was over, there was something he needed to discuss with him. Something very important.

"...Very well." Arvis nodded slowly. "There's something that I need to tell you about, as well."

Just as Arvis was about to walk away, Sigurd leaned toward him and pressed my lips against his.

"We didn't do that at Agusty." He whispered upon pulling back. "Even though it's been so long."

Arvis stared at us for several long seconds. Then he suddenly laughed, louder than I'd ever heard from him.

"You're right. We didn't."  
"Let's... Let's never forget that again, okay?"

Arvis smiled.

"Right."

Ah... If I were in control of my body, if we weren't about to go into battle, I'd drag him back to the tent and...

 

The people of Madino allowed Reptor and Langobalt's troops through, no doubt intimidated by the size of the army, even if half of it was still at Agusty.

"Sigrid of Chalphy!" Sigurd heard Reptor shout. "You are accused of conspiring against the Crown of Grannvale with your father, Vylon of Chalphy. Furthermore, you are accused of murdering Grannvale's King Azmur and kidnapping Princess Deirdre!"

That further cemented the fact that Reptor and Langobalt had gotten their information from sources of unsavory origins. Arvis and Deirdre had both said that even at Belhalla Castle, only a handful of the staff was aware of Deirdre's identity.

"If you wish to arrest me, then come!" Sigurd shouted back. "I know that I've always been loyal to King Azmur, and that both my father and I are innocent of the crimes you accuse us of in order to ease your own guilty consciences!"

Neither Reptor nor Langobalt responded to Sigurd's declaration, merely ordering their troops to strike.

Despite Sigurd's attempts to charge right toward them, there was constant interference from Reptor's Thunder Mages or Langobalt's Axe Knights. It was right when he finished off one of them that he heard Langobalt let out a loud, painful grunt.

He looked up to see Langobalt gasping in pain as Mystletainn impaled him. Eldigan, still on his horse despite being wounded, pushed it in further. 

"Father!" Though the battle was still raging around them, Sigurd heard Lex shout out in alarm. Langobalt gave no indication that he heard his son's voice as he fell to the ground. Eldigan showed no reaction to the death of his opponent, only pulling his sword from the body. Before he could do anything else, however, a loud clap of thunder rang out. Almost immediately after, Sigurd heard another grunt of pain.

It took a few seconds to realize that it had been Eldigan.

Whether or not those few seconds would have made a difference was irrelevent. It doubtlessly wouldn't have let Sigurd catch Eldigan as he fell off of his horse, which soon ran wild in a panic.

"Lord Brother!" Sigurd heard Lachesis scream from a distance. He paid her no mind, however, having had already dismounted my horse and was rushing towards the fallen Eldigan.

"Eldie!" He called out. "Are you okay!? Answer me!"

He received no response.

"Move!" Ethlyn seemed to come out of nowhere, shoving us away from Eldigan as she and Adean tried to heal him, with Cuan, Finn and Arden acting as shields.

Before Sigurd could try going back toward Eldigan, however, Arvis placed his hand on my shoulder.

"It's better if you stay back." He said emotionlessly.  
"He's... he's going to be okay, right?" Sigurd asked. "Eldie won't... Eldie's not going to die!"

Arvis said nothing, only looking down at his feet.

Frustrated, Sigurd pulled away from Arvis and looked around. Most of the other battles were finished in our favor. Lachesis was holding her stave as she desperately tried to go to her brother, but she was completely hysterical. She wouldn't be able to heal him properly, and given the proximity to the remaining troops, she'd just be a sitting duck. Sigurd was grateful that Dew and Tiarca were doing everything they could to hold her back.

Lachesis wasn't the only one making noise, however; Tailto had become unusually untalkative when her father arrived, but now she was attempting to charge toward him, demanding an explanation for what he was doing. It was taking both Claud _and_ Briggid to hold her back. Lewyn was nearby, keeping watch for any remaining soldiers.

Lex, meanwhile, had fallen silent and was making no attempt to move. Unfortunately, he was in the one area that still had enemies remaining. Ayra and Azel were both attempting to snap him out of his daze in between taking out enemies.

Most everyone else was moving to defend Cuan's group from the remaining knights and mages moving toward them. Jamke and Holyn were pulling Eldigan back toward the camp to get him out of Reptor's range. The only one Sigurd couldn't see was...

"Deirdre." He whispered, now looking around frantically.

In addition to not being a skilled fighter, Deirdre was also one of the Grannvale Army's targets. Everyone had agreed that it would be best if she hung towards the back. Even so, standing by while her friends were fighting went against her very nature. Sure enough, he finally spotted her trying to push her way toward the front, stave in hand. But behind her...

"DEIRDRE, BEHIND YOU!"

Sigurd could see a man in a cloak creeping up behind Deirdre. He could not recognize the man, but everything about him was setting off alarm bells.

Arvis had spotted the man as well, and was in the process of pulling out the Valflame. He looked enraged, as though the man's very existence was an affront to him. But then he seemed to see something out of the corner of his eye and froze.

Sigurd turned to see that one of the remaining Axe Knights had dismounted his horse and was sneaking up on Azel, who had been distracted by Sigurd's scream. Without noticing the man, he readied his tome and aimed it at the man reaching for Deirdre.

Before he could fire off his tome, however, a blast from Valflame incinerated the man behind him, causing him to turn around in surprise. While that was happening, Deirdre had finally noticed the man behind her and was attempting to fight him off. Both Sigurd and Arvis rushed toward her, but the man chanted something and the two disappeared.

"No!" Sigurd screamed. "No, no, no!"

No amount of screaming changed anything, however. Deirdre was gone.

 

In the span of a single afternoon, everything had gone wrong. They'd managed to kill Langobalt and fight off Reptor, but that would doubtlessly further convince the higher ups at Grannvale that he'd committed treason. Sigurd had managed to convince Eldigan to side with him, but all it did was delay the inevitable; Despite Ethlyn and Adean's best efforts, he never woke up.

Worst of all, Deirdre had been taken right under their noses.

"Who was that!?" Ayra demanded, furious that she hadn't been fast enough to stop him.  
"Manfroy..." Arvis hissed under his breath. "I knew he'd realize what we were up to sooner or later, but..."

The only faint silver lining was that Arvis hadn't been taken as well. Neither Sigurd nor I wanted to think of what the Loptyr Sect would do to them to ensure they produced a child. When Sigurd had seen Deirdre at Belhalla Castle more than a year after her abduction, she'd been confused about who he was. They'd obviously done something to make her forget him, and now that Arvis knew who she was, they'd likely do it to him, too.

"You said you were careful making your way to Agustria. How could they have found out!?"  
"I don't know, Prince Cuan." Arvis snapped. "My guess is that there was a spy among the staff at Belhalla Castle and they chose to strike when Deirdre and I left King Azmur alone."  
"You left him alone with no way of making sure he was defended!?" Sigurd demanded.  
"Of course not!" Arvis growled. "Aida was supposed to be stationed there until I returned."

Aida was the general of the Rotten Ritter and the closest thing Arvis had to a friend. He didn't like being around women, but he seemed somewhat tolerant of Aida. She was a sarcastic but hard-working woman who often acted like she knew something you didn't. I don't doubt her _ability_ to protect King Azmur, but...

"Could it have been Aida who leaked the information?" The words came out before they could be stopped.  
"No." Arvis shook his head. "Aida would never assist the Loptyr Sect."

"The Lopt-" Lex gasped. "You're telling me the Loptyr Sect is behind this!?"

A ripple coursed through everyone. The only ones in the group who had known the full story behind Deirdre's heritage and the implications behind it were Cuan, Ethlyn, Azel, Adean and Eldigan. Everyone else simply knew that she was Prince Kurth's daughter.

"It's... It's a long story." Sigurd replied, giving Arvis a hesitant look.

"I think it might have to wait, however." Ferry sudden spoke, looking toward the sky.

Sigurd could see group of Pegasus Knights landing nearby. There were too many to be Misau or Sesanva, so it could only be Ferry's sister, Mahnya.

"Good evening, Lady Sigrid. My name is Mahnya, a Sillesian knight."

Sigurd said nothing and shook her hand.

"I am here on the orders of Queen Rahna." She continued. "She has learned of your plight and has requested that you retreat to Sillese until your good name has been cleared."  
"Surely you've heard the news from Belhalla." Sigurd laughed bitterly. "I've been declared guilty of regicide. Why go to the trouble of extending a hand to me?"  
"I think you already know why." Mahnya did not seem interested in playing along with Sigurd's despair. "Time is off the essence, ma'am. You managed to fight off Grannvale's troops this time, but it won't be long before they send more. The Pegasus Knights will accompany you over the sea."

"I-" Sigurd hesitated as he looked around at the others. The past several days had been one battle after another. Everyone was tired. Everyone was wounded to varying degrees. Some were even unconscious. They needed to rest their bodies and their minds. They needed a moment of reprieve where they knew they'd be safe.

He turned his gaze toward the fallen Eldigan.

"I need a few more hours." He finally said as he turned back to Mahnya. "There's still something that I need to take care of."

Mahnya moved so that she could see around my body, and her gaze softened.

"I see." She said gently. "Then we shall stand guard while you say goodbye."

Mahnya's words and actions wouldn't fix anything, but Sigurd found her gesture comforting, nonetheless.

 

Before they could begin burying Eldigan, however, Claud woke up. He had been rendered unconscious by a last minute sneak attack and hadn't had a chance to process what was going on.

"Father Claud, my sister has arrived to take us to Silesse." Ferry explained.  
"I can see that, but what is Lady Sigrid doing?" Claud nodded, giving Sigurd a confused look.  
"I can't just leave Eldigan here." Sigurd shook my head. "I at least owe him a burial of some kind, even if it's in a place like this."  
"I mean, why are you burying him at all?"

Sigurd blinked at him. Had Claud lost his mind? Eldigan was dead. There was nothing Claud or any of the other healers could do for him.

"It has only been a few hours since he died, correct?" Claud asked, looking toward the sky. "As long as we get him to a proper location in a timely manner..."

Claud pulled out the Valkyrie Staff.

"I can revive him."

In hindsight, it seemed rather silly to have forgotten such a thing. Obtaining the Valkyrie Staff had been part of the reason Claud had journeyed to Blaggi Tower in the first place, after all.

"We will escort you to Agusty." Eve stepped forward and stared at him in a determined manner. "If it means our king will live once more, we'll gladly face whatever threats that may come to pass, even if it's the Dracoknights of Thracia."  
"We may not need to, Brother." Eva tapped Eve on the shoulder. "It looks like the Dracoknights are retreating."

Indeed, it was easy to see dragons flying away from Agusty. The Cross Knights had evidently put up quite a fight; There were far fewer dragons than Sigurd had seen earlier.

"I'm going with you." Sigurd and Lachesis both said at the same time.

Lachesis, who had been in a daze for the past several hours, was standing tall, fire burning in her eyes. She glared at us, as though daring us to stop her. Dew, whose feelings even I had noticed, didn't look surprised. He didn't even look worried.

"Dew, I want you to go on to Silesse." She turned around and took his hands into her own. "Once my brother is revived, we'll make our way there. And then..."

She took a deep breath.

"I'll introduce the two of you properly."

Though Dew would apparently hit something of a growth spurt in Silesse, Lachesis was still somewhat taller than Dew at the moment, so she had to lean down slightly in order to kiss him.

"Looks like we owe Jamke 50 gold." Sigurd thought he heard Holyn whisper to Ferry, who nodded almost sullenly.

Arvis, meanwhile, was completely against us going.

"There's no telling when Grannvale will send more troops!" He protested. "And if you go with only a handful of people-"  
"You mean like how I did when Adean was abducted by Gandolf?" Sigurd whipped around. "I can handle it just fine."  
"Can you honestly say that for sure!?" Arvis, undeterred by Sigurd's words, continued. "For all we know, Manfroy may be planning another sneak attack!"

That was true. Sigurd hesitated, considering Arvis's words.

"And if anything happened to you, I-" Arvis cut himself off, looking away. "I don't know what I'd do."

My face grew red, but whether or not it was mine or Sigurd's embarrassment, I couldn't say.

"Do you mean in the short term... Or long term?" Sigurd finally managed to respond.

Arvis did not answer. Finally, Sigurd placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Regardless of the risk, I need to go." He said softly. "Cuan, Eldie and I promised to always have each other's back. He's done plenty for me already, and now it's time for me to return the favor."  
"Same here." Cuan stepped forward. "I'm going, too."

Before Arvis could protest more, Sigurd gently stroked his cheek.

"I need you to trust me." He whispered. "Please, go with Captain Mahnya. You'll be safe in Silesse."  
"I-"  
"I'll meet with you as soon as I can. And then we can have that talk we've been meaning to have."

Arvis still didn't look happy about the proceedings, but he nodded.

"Please, hop on, sir!" One of the five Pegasus Knights that arrived with Mahnya piped up cheerfully. He did so reluctantly, but gave us one last glance before the pegasus took off.

It's strange... I promised to meet him in Silesse, but seeing him fade out of sight filled my body with dread.

 

Thankfully, there were no obstacles on the way to Agusty, and the group arrived shortly before midnight.

The remaining Cross Knights were stunned to see the corpse of their liege, but allowed us passage into the shrine. Eldigan's body was laid on the altar as Claud began to recite the chant for the revival spell. Soon, Eldigan began to cough.

"Oh, Lord Brother!" Lachesis sobbed, rushing toward him without making sure Claud was finished. Fortunately, Cuan managed to stop her from bowling Claud over as he was turning around.

"What..." Eldigan began to pull himself up. "What happened?"  
"It was Reptor." Sigurd said as he hugged him. "He killed you."  
"K-killed!?"  
"I was able to revive you with the Valkyrie Staff." Claud explained, holding up the stave in question. "Of course, now I'll need to have it repaired."  
"M-My apologies." Eldigan stammered slightly, looking embarrassed.  
"It's no trouble." Claud smiled.

"After that, a squad of Pegasus Knights arrived from Silesse offering asylum." Cuan continued. "Most everyone else has already gone over."  
"I see." Eldigan did not react to those words. "And what of the Grannvale troops?"  
"We managed to drive them off, but they'll doubtlessly be back soon." Lachesis, who had latched onto the side of Eldigan that that didn't already have Sigurd on it, said quickly. "We need to hurry back to Madino so that w-"

The door to the shrine burst open.

"Lady Sigrid!" Eva shouted. "King Chagall is-"  
"King Eldigan!" Alva screamed. "You're alive!"

"Yes, that's why we came here, Alva." Lachesis rolled her eyes.  
"What was that about His Majesty?" Eldigan frowned as he gently peeled his sister off of him.

"There are more troops coming from Silvail!"  
"How can there be more troops!?" Cuan, already pulling out his lance, demanded.  
"They're most likely conscripts."

It would certainly be in character for Chagall to force his own people to fight for a pointless cause. Sigurd suspected that he didn't even know anything that had gone on the past couple days. As far as he likely knew, all of our group was still here.

"Cuan, we don't have time to deal with this!" Lachesis protested. "We need to get back to Madino, and make our way to Silesse."  
"No."

It was not Cuan, but Eldigan who spoke.

There was something odd in his voice. Something cold and determined.

"Eldie... You're not thinking of trying to reason with him, are you!?" Sigurd gasped, horrified.  
"King Eldigan, His Majesty has already declared you a traitor to the throne!" Eve agreed. "If you go back to Silvail, your head will roll before you even get a word in!"  
"Lord Brother-" Lachesis tried to add more, but Eldigan simply wrapped the Mystletainn in cloth and handed it to her.

"I want you to take this to Leonster." He ordered. "When I'm gone, someone's going to need to wield it, and that duty is going to have to fall to Ares when he's old enough."  
"Are you an idiot!?" Cuan shouted. "Have you listened to a single word any of us have said!? Chagall's going to kill you!"  
"I know." Eldigan nodded. "Agustria itself is falling apart. As a knight, it is my obligation to see things through to the end. It's unlikely I'll make it out alive at this rate."  
"Then why!?" Sigurd demanded.

Eldigan turned his gaze towards us. His eyes seemed to be burning.

"Because if Agustria goes down, I'm going to make sure he goes down with her, as a king should."

Before anyone else could respond, Eldigan ordered Eve to summon all of the surviving Cross Knights and prepare for battle.

"Why!?" Lachesis yelled. "Why do you have to do this!? Haven't you done enough!?"

Eldigan's gaze turned gentle as he turned to his sister.

"How long have you known me, Lachesis?" He said gently. "Do you really think I'll abandon Agustria in her darkest hour?"

He turned to Sigurd and Cuan.

"I'm not going in there intending to die, but there are no guarantees in life." He said quietly. "If I don't make it out of there..."  
"Idiot." Cuan wiped a tear from his eye. "Lachesis is like the annoying little sister I never had or wanted. Of course we'll look out for her."  
"And Sigrid..." Eldigan nodded before leaning toward Sigurd. "If you happen to run into Grahnye... Tell her I'm sorry. For everything."  
"Yes."

Sigurd wanted to protest. **I** wanted to protest. But was there really anything either of us could do? We'd managed to save his life twice now, but he couldn't be our priority. Deirdre was still in the clutches of the Loptyrians, we were still considered criminals to our own nation.

And Arvis was waiting for us.

"Eldigan... Thank you." Sigurd finally choked out. "For everything."

Eldigan smiled warmly and said nothing else.

Lachesis tried to remain with her brother, but Cuan reminded her that Dew was waiting for her in Silesse, forcing her to finally relent. With one last glance toward Agusty Castle, our group set out for Madino for the final time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. After nearly two months without an update, here we are! The delay was caused by a mix of writer's block and Fandom ADD. This chapter feels shorter than the first part, but that's probably because I got most of Chapter 3 done in the last part, and this part ended up skipping a lot from the latter half of Chapter 3 in the game.
> 
> EDIT: Holy shit, I am a fucking idiot. I completely forgot about the Valkyrie Staff. On one hand, yeah, you don't always get to say goodbye, but I can't think of a reason as to why they wouldn't at least try to use it.
> 
> I know I didn't want this to be a simple rehashing of the game, but the characters keep getting away from me and doing what they want. These next few chapters are going to be... pretty interesting to write.
> 
> Final note: I looked it up, and "duckys" is apparently medieval slang for breasts.


	7. Dance In The Skies (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigurd's group arrives in Sailane, but there seems to be something afoot.

Within a day of arriving in Silesia, Sigurd received word that Eldigan had fallen in battle, as he had suspected.

The one to break the news was Queen Rahna.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Lady Sigrid." She said softly. "I understand that you, Sir Eldigan and Prince Cuan were all very close."  
"Thank you, Queen Rahna." Sigurd replied. "He went to his death as a knight of the people, and I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way."

Sigurd asked if the others had arrived safely.

"Yes." Rahna smiled. "Everyone else was taken to Sailane Castle safely. The children were also taken there after they learned of the others' arrival."  
"I see. I'm grateful for your kindness." Sigurd nodded. "If I may, have you spoken to my husband?"  
"Your husband?" Rahna's expression shifted to confusion. "Do you mean Duke Arvis of Velthomer?"  
"Yes. He secretly arrived in Agustria a few days ago." Sigurd explained. "He should have been brought over with your son and the others."

Rahna looked momentarily surprised, but seemed to shake it off.

"So Lewyn _did_ tell you..." She mused. "Or was it Ferry?"  
"Ferry mentioned that she'd been looking for Prince Lewyn. And with his skill with a wind tome, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together."  
"I see." Rahna sighed. "But as for your husband... I received no word that Duke Arvis was among those brought from Orgahill."

"He should have been, though." Sigurd frowned. "I specifically saw him leave with a member of Captain Mahnya's squad."  
"Which one? I know all four of them."  
"Four? Didn't she come with five?" Sigurd's frown deepened as he wondered if he was remembering incorrectly.  
"Lady Sigrid, all of our Pegasus Knights squads only consist of a squad leader and four regular soldiers." Rahna shook her head.  
"Then how could there have been a fifth member without any of the others noticing!?" Sigurd exclaimed.

What a silly question. At the time the Pegasus Knight had offered Arvis a place on her pegasus, Mahnya and the other members of the squad were busy loading the others onto theirs.

(A ship was sent to the Orgahill Pirates' hideout to retrieve everyone's horses afterwards)

"I couldn't say, Lady Sigrid..." Now Rahna was frowning. "Perhaps we should send a messenger to Sailane and see if perhaps your husband was simply late."  
"No, I'd rather go and see for myself, Your Majesty." Sigurd shook my head. "If you don't mind. I... want to see my daughter, too."

Rahna agreed and summoned Mahnya to escort us to Sailane Castle.

Sigurd's army had called the castle home for a year after being forced to flee Agustria. The people there had been good to them, and they had tried their best to be good to them in return. Finding himself back in Sailane was rather bittersweet; As kind as the people were, being there was a reminder that he had failed and was once again living in exile.

As for me, I wanted to remain optimistic, but learning that my husband had apparently never landed was distressing in addition to knowing that Sigurd's attempt to clear _his_ name didn't go well didn't give me much hope that clearing mine would go any better.

Upon landing, Sigurd immediately entered the castle after Mahnya explained to the guards.

"Oifey? Cuan?" He called out.

Rather than either of them, however, it was Lachesis who responded to his call. She walked out of one of the hallways at a quick pace. Her eyes widened as she hurried toward us.

"Was there any news about my brother?" She asked. "Anything at all?"  
"I-" Sigurd hesitated. "I'll tell you in a bit. Where are the others?"

Lachesis did not find his words encouraging, and merely pointed up the stairs.

Sigurd felt guilty for leaving her there, knowing that eventually he'd have to tell her the full truth even if she'd apparently already realized. However, there were more pressing concerns that needed to be addressed. Upon entering the upstairs hallway, he found Ethlyn looking around with a concerned look on her face.

"Lady Sister!" She exclaimed upon seeing us. "You've already finished up at Silesia?"  
"Y-Yes, Queen Rahna filled me in." Sigurd nodded. "It was Reptor's daughter Ethnia that approached her, yes?"  
"Right. She said that she'd overheard her father speaking about their plans with someone and snuck out with the seal of Freege."

Freege was thankfully south of Silesse, so as soon as her father had left for Agustria, Ethina had boarded a small boat that took her to a port just south of Silesia. Upon arriving, she presented the seal of Freege and requested an audience with Queen Rahna, in which she pleaded for asylum for the army, which she knew her sister would join.

"Where are the children?" Sigurd asked.  
"Celice is asleep." Ethlyn explained. "Oifey and Shanan are training in the yard with Ayra and Finn."  
"Good." Sigurd let out a sigh of relief.  
"But Lady Sister, where is Duke Arvis?" Ethlyn asked. "Cuan and I have been looking all over for him. Was he in Silesia with you?"  
"He's not here!?"  
"N-No." Ethlyn shook her head. "We've searched every nook and cranny of the castle, and there's no sign of him. Are you saying he wasn't in Silesia?"

Sigurd told her what Rahna had told him.

"You don't suppose something happened to him en route?" Cuan said as he came around the corner. "Wait, what were you saying about Silesse's Pegasus Knights?"

Silesse's Four Angelic Knights were considered the best of the best. All four of them were captains of their own squadron of four hand-picked Pegasus Knights. The remaining Pegasus Knights were part of the main army and served the army's commander.

"But there are only four knights to each captain?" Cuan frowned as he tried to remember how many had appeared before them. "Could it have been a soldier from the main army?"  
"Why would they only send one regular soldier along with one the Angelic Knights?" Sigurd shot the idea down. "It doesn't make any sense."  
"Wait..." Ethlyn gave a small gasp. "What if it wasn't one of Silesse's soldiers at all?"

The suggestion made all three of them fall silent.

It wasn't as though the idea hadn't crossed Sigurd's mind. Deirdre may have fallen into the clutches of the Loptyrians, but she alone wouldn't be enough for them to revive the Dark God. They needed Arvis as well, and after having Deirdre snatched from us, we'd be on high alert and desperate to make sure he didn't get captured as well. He'd be safest in Silesse; that was something Sigurd and I both agreed on.

But perhaps that was exactly what the Loptyrians were counting on.

So far, the only Loptyrians we'd seen were men, but it was absurd to think that there weren't any women among them. If one of them were to disguise themselves as a Pegasus Knight, no one would think twice about trusting her. She could deliver Arvis to the Loptyrians before anyone grew suspicious about her presence.

Sigurd glanced out the window and saw a messenger speaking to Mahnya. When the messenger was finished, Mahnya hurried inside the castle. Sensing that it was important, he rushed down to the entrance.

Mahnya was looking around, as though wondering where to look when she spotted us. She walked toward us with a deep frown on her face.

"A body was just found in the home of one of our regular soldiers." She explained. "It was burned beyond recognition, but we suspect that it's the soldier herself."  
"Was it a robbery?" Sigurd asked.  
"The only thing missing from her home was her uniform. And we think it happened within the past couple days."

Because the woman lived alone, the people in her village didn't notice that she hadn't left her home for a couple days. It was only when one of her fellow soldiers realized that she hadn't reported in for training that people grew suspicious.

"Could it be that the woman was killed so someone could impersonate her?"  
"It's certainly possible. Her pegasus was still in the barn, but another recruit reported that _hers_ was missing."  
"So whoever stole her uniform didn't know which pegasus was hers..."

That suggested that the murder hadn't been planned, at least not far in advance. The question was, why did someone feel the need to do such a thing?

"Do you think the culprit was the fifth Pegasus Knight you saw?" Mahnya suggested.

Though that had been Sigurd's first thought, hearing someone else bring the possibility up was uncomfortable.

"Something wrong, Mahnya?" Sigurd turned around to see Lewyn walking toward them.

When Mahnya explained the situation, his eyes narrowed.

"So one of our soldiers has been murdered, another had her pegasus stolen, and the culprit may have abducted Sigrid's husband." He said dryly. "Isn't _this_ delightful."  
"We're investigating what happened right now, but it's looking fairly likely." Mahnya hesitated before giving Sigurd an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Lady Sigrid."  
"I'm the one who should apologize." Sigurd looked down. "If it really played out as we think it did, one of Silesse's Pegasus Knights was murdered solely that someone could abduct my husband."  
"Is there any particular reason your husband would be targeted?" Mahnya asked. "I understand that he's the Duke of Velthomer, but he's far from the only valuable hostage."

Sigurd, Ethlyn and Cuan were all silent. It was true that they knew why Arvis would be abducted and who would have reason to do it, but until they knew for sure what had happened, it wouldn't be wise to go spreading his secret around.

Lewyn, sensing the atmosphere, told Mahnya to head back to Silesia while we continued searching here. It was possible that Arvis had simply gotten delayed and would be arriving soon. Mahnya seemed skeptical, but agreed and departed without protest.

"Perhaps it's time we have a little chat." He smiled stiffly as he gestured for us to follow him.

I was confused by Lewyn's sudden coldness, but Sigurd did not appear to be; For Lewyn, the well-being of Silesse and her people was of the utmost importance. He had told Sigurd once that his reason for leaving was to prevent a succession crisis. His uncles were both adamant that the throne not go to him upon his father's death, despite how beloved Lewyn was to the people. If the situation escalated too far, it could erupt into a civil war, which would cost countless Silessian lives. Thus, Lewyn decided to leave Silesse to his uncles in order to spare the lives of the people.

Now a Silessian knight had lost her life because of something wicked in Grannvale. It was no surprise to Sigurd that Lewyn was angry and wanted to know what was going on.

Sigurd nodded and followed Lewyn, as did Ethlyn and Cuan.

Along the way, the group bumped into Tailto, who wanted to introduce Lewyn to her sister, Ethnia. Lewyn smiled, greeted Ethnia politely, and continued on his way.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Sigurd heard Ethnia whisper.  
"He seems angry about something." Tailto frowned.

Lewyn did not appear to hear their words (or if he did, he ignored them), and simply led the group to a room on the second floor at the end of the hall.

"This room is primarily used for storage." He explained. "No one will bother us in here."  
"Very well." Sigurd nodded and followed Lewyn inside.

Once everyone was settled in, Lewyn decided to dive right in.

"Is it safe to assume you know why someone would want to abduct your husband?" He asked, giving Sigurd a hard look.  
"...Yes."  
"And can I assume it's also related to Deirdre's abduction the other day?"  
"That is correct, yes."  
"Do you have any idea where the culprit might be?"

Sigurd looked at Ethlyn and Cuan, who appeared to be waiting for him to answer.

"If I had to guess..." Sigurd said slowly. "They're most likely back in Grannvale."

Lewyn allowed the information to sink in. He looked thoughtful for a few seconds before regaining his stoicism.

"Deirdre, I can understand, since she's currently thought to have been abducted by you, but did anyone even know Arvis had left Grannvale?" He tilted his head somewhat curiously. "I believe he said that he'd left one of his generals in charge of Velthomer while he claimed to be staying at Belhalla for a few days."

Despite playing the role of a flighty, wayward bard, Sigurd knew that Lewyn was a sharp man who was listening more often than he seemed. He was no fool, merely someone who knew when to play one. 

"So... Why was your husband taken?" He finally asked. "Is it connected to the Loptyr Sect?"

Sigurd let out a sigh before saying it was a long story.

"I've got time." Lewyn smiled wryly.  
"Wait!" Ethlyn spoke up. "Who all do you intend to tell about this?"  
"That depends. At the very least, I suspect that my mother is going to hear about this."  
"That's fine." Sigurd agreed. "I think I can trust Queen Rahna."

And so, he told him.

Lewyn seemed somewhat surprised by the story, but he remained calm the entire time. When Sigurd finished, he ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh.

"Now it's Loptyrians, huh..." He groaned. "Well, I've thrown my lot in with you for this long, might as well see it through to the end."  
"And how do you intend to throw your lot in?" Cuan asked suspiciously.  
"Well, I'm definitely going to be telling my mother about this. Perhaps if she can get a message through to Belhalla, word can spread through to the people."

Before anyone else could respond, Lewyn spoke up again.

"And if Belhalla proves to be a dud, we can send messages to the other duchies, or to Leonster."

He glanced at Cuan as he said "Leonster", but Cuan said nothing.

"The important thing is that people find out that Deirdre and your husband are siblings." Lewyn turned back to Sigurd. "Who all knows?"  
"J-Just us, Azel, Adean, and Father Claud."  
"Well, we better get started telling everyone."  
"But if word gets out that they have Loptyr blood-" Cuan protested.  
"We don't have to go that far. We just have to tell people that Cigyun was their mother." Lewyn shook his head. "That way, even if the Loptyr Sect tries to enchant them into marrying, the people will protest. It's the best possible plan we have."

His logic was sound, and no one else could think of any other counterarguments.

"Then we're in agreement?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then we'll need to call everyone to a meeting tonight and tell them. Tomorrow, we'll head to Silesia and inform Mother of what's going on."

Most of the group was shocked at the revelations, but a handful weren't particularly surprised. Jamke, who had grown up just north of the Spirit Forest, suspected that the people living there had been hiding something. Lachesis said that in hindsight, it made sense that Eldigan and Grahnye were secretive, given what had happened to the family that given Grahnye her veil.

She did not allow Sigurd to fully break the news of Eldigan's death to her. She merely held her hand up and excused herself, closely followed by Dew.

That night, Sigurd gently held Celice and mused that now she was in the same position Seliph had been: Separated from her father as Seliph had his mother, in a situation where they might not meet again.

The sleeping Celice's only response was quiet breathing.

 

When several days passed with no sign or word from Arvis, Sigurd was forced to conclude that he really had been taken. But there was no time for grief or despair.

For the next few weeks, everyone at Sailane worked to get word out about Arvis and Deirdre's relation. Ayra and Jamke sent messages to Isaach and Verdane through traveling merchants. Cuan and Ethlyn sent messages to Leonster. Lachesis attempted to contact Grahnye's family. Alec and Dew told travelers passing through Sailane under the guise of gossip.

A month after arriving, Claud and Ferry made their way toward Belhalla to see if they could get information on what was happening there. They had done such a thing in Sigurd's time as well, though it had gone rather badly. They had been banking on the fact that Claud hadn't been known for being part of Sigurd's army (and could therefore be allowed in Belhalla long enough to tell Sigurd's side of the story), but they were nevertheless attacked and unable to reach King Azmur.

And this time, King Azmur was no longer alive to tell the story to. Thus, the goal here was to simply gain information. With any luck, they'd at least be able to escape without any serious injuries.

When they did return, they were indeed not as heavily wounded as they had been in Sigurd's time, but they were more shaken than Sigurd remembered.

"Princess Deirdre was taken to Belhalla." Claud explained. "We know for sure now."  
"You saw her!?"  
"She..." Claud hesitated.  
"She was the one who... Attacked us." Ferry finished for him. "We were barely able to get away in time."  
"No..." Ethlyn gave a horrified gasp.  
"There was no recognition in her eyes." Claud looked down at his feet sadly. "It was like she was looking at strangers."

Then it had already happened. Deirdre had once again slipped out of Sigurd's grasp and had her memories taken from her. Worse yet, it sounded like the next time she saw the first friends she'd made outside of the Spirit Forest, she'd see them as enemies.

The tears that stained my cheeks were bitter, but Sigurd forced himself to remain composed.

"And what of my husband?" He asked. "Was there any sign of him? Any mention of him in the castle?"

"There was no sign of him at Belhalla, no." Ferry shook her head. "But before Princess Deirdre noticed us, she mentioned that she was making her way to Velthomer to check on him."  
"He's at Velthomer!?"  
"Yes. It sounds as though he's taken ill."  
"We heard another interesting thing during that discussion." Claud explained. "It seems as though General Aida has gone missing."

Arvis had mentioned that Aida had helped him and Deirdre make their way to Agusty and that she was aware of their circumstances. It was possible that she'd been targeted. Or perhaps she'd realized what had happened when Deirdre reappeared at Belhalla and chose to go into hiding.

"We need to head to Velthomer." Sigurd said before anyone else had a chance to respond. "We need to get to Arvis. Security around Belhalla will be too tight, but if we can get to Velthomer-"  
"I doubt that will work, Lady Sister." Ethlyn shot the idea down flat. "Duke Arvis is your husband. They'll surely be keeping a close watch on Velthomer in case you try to go there."  
"She's right, Sigrid." Cuan placed his hand on Ethlyn's shoulder. "For now, the best plan is to wait and see what they do."

A week after Claud and Ferry returned, Queen Rahna called us to Silesia to tell us that Belhalla had announced the return of Princess Deirdre. She had declared that my father and I were both traitors to the crown, and that my marriage to Duke Arvis of Velthomer was dissolved. Furthermore, she declared that she and Arvis were betrothed and that anyone caught spreading rumors of her parentage would be brought in for questioning.

"I'm sorry, Lady Sigrid." was all she could say to comfort us.

 

Two weeks passed when Lewyn suddenly called to us one morning to have a chat in private. He was smiling, but Sigurd could tell that he was simply putting on airs to cheer us up.

"Is it alright if I feed Celice first?" He replied.  
"Of course." Lewyn nodded, and waited patiently outside the room.

It was strange how used to the act of breastfeeding Sigurd had become. He'd already fed Celice more than Deirdre had Seliph, in fact. That realization was a bitter one, but he tried not to let it control him. As much as he longed to see his son, he understood that the baby girl he'd helped bring into the world needed him.

When he finally placed Celice into the small crib the people of Sailane had given them, Lewyn asked if she was sleeping alright.

"Well, I suppose it's a little lonely in bed." Sigurd said softly. "I'd gotten used to waking up alone, so perhaps having Arvis with me for a couple days spoiled me a bit. Now he's gone."  
"That's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."

Sigurd turned to Lewyn and frowned.

When he had opened up to Lewyn about missing Deirdre, Lewyn had half-jokingly offered to sleep with him until they found her. But Lewyn's tone here was quite serious.

"Your chances of being able to return to Grannvale are pretty slim." He looked down at his hands as he fiddled with them. "It's starting to look like you might have to fully settle here."

Sigurd turned away and chose not to reply. It was true that the chances of me being welcome in Grannvale weren't good. Indeed, it seemed that my chances of being able to return home were even worse than Sigurd's had. Even so, that didn't mean making a home in Silesse was an option; Eventually, Grannvale was going to come knocking, Silesse's neutrality be damned.

"Have you considered tying yourself to Silesse?" Lewyn asked, deciding to ignore Sigurd's silence. "Making it official?"

Was he asking us to join the military? There was no way that would end well. Sigurd knew that while the official word in Silesse was that "Sigrid of Chalphy has been framed for treason and she has been granted asylum here", there were people who believed I was guilty and others who believed I was a spy.

Meanwhile, Belhalla would likely take it as proof of treason and spin it so that I had betrayed the crown on behalf of Silesse. It might even be taken as an excuse to declare war, and with a civil war on the horizon for Silesse, that was the last thing they needed.

When Sigurd told Lewyn these things (leaving out the part of the impending civil war, of course), Lewyn rubbed his forehead.

"Sigrid, I'm not asking for you to join Silesse's military or anything." Lewyn groaned. "I'm asking you to marry me."  
"W-What?" Sigurd stammered. "Say that again? If this is another one of your jokes, it's not very funny."  
"How carefree do you think I am?" Lewyn frowned. "Even I know that a marriage proposal isn't something to be done lightly. I've spent the past three days thinking this over and discussing it with Mother. She's rather fond of you, you know."

And Sigurd was fond of Queen Rahna himself, as was I. Since he had lost his mother at a young age (like I did), Rahna was something like a second mother to him during his year in Silesse. She'd apparently even told him that she hoped he'd rub off on Lewyn.

"My point is, as my wife, I could offer you better protection than just giving you asylum." Lewyn continued. "It's the least I could do for you after my plan to help you get back home failed. I'm even willing to adopt Celice as my own.  
"That's ridiculous." Sigurd shook my head. "Celice has no Forseti blood, so she couldn't wield the Forseti tome. She can't even wield the Tyrfing, since it's in my father's possession, and he's still missing."  
"We could have a child together, you know." Lewyn looked away. "If that's what you're worried about."  
"Or you could have one with a woman you actually love." Sigurd chuckled dryly. "Haven't you been flirting with one of them since Agusty?"

Lewyn gave us a dirty look before turning his gaze to the floor.

"I mean, it's not that I'm not attracted to you." He said flatly, unaware that it was something of a tacit admission that there was someone else he was more attracted to.  
"Am I your type, though?" Sigurd asked. "Can you kiss me? Take me to bed?"

Lewyn's eyes narrowed at the challenge. He stood up and walked toward us, pressing his lips to mine.

That was no surprise. Lewyn was just flirtatious enough to swap kisses like candy. The real test was to see if he was willing to go further.

"And the next part?" Sigurd said when Lewyn pulled back. "Are you willing to undress me and bed me?"

Lewyn's face turned scarlet, and for a second, he hesitated.

Before long, though, he brought his hands to my collar and began to fiddle with it.

" _Without_ imagining someone else?" Sigurd said curtly, and Lewyn froze in place.

Sigurd took a step back and began to fix the collar.

"It's rather rude to avoid eye contact when you're taking off your partner's clothes, you know." He explained. "It makes me think you're scared of what you'll see. Were you hoping for someone a little... smaller than me?"  
"Why are you trying to push me toward Tailto?" Lewyn gave an exasperated grunt.  
"Lewyn, Briggid is the only woman in the army who's nearly as tall as I am." Sigurd gave a small smirk. "All of the others are shorter than I am. Why did you immediately think I was referring to Tailto?"

Lewyn's face turned an even brighter red as he struggled to get the words out.

"Please try to keep your voice down." Sigurd grinned. "My daughter is still asleep, you know."

Lewyn clamped his mouth shut as Sigurd put my hand on his shoulder.

"I apologize for tricking you, and I _am_ grateful for your proposal." He gently explained. "But I can't bring myself to wed a man I know cares for another."

Was this how Eldigan felt, I wondered?

"Besides, dissolved or not... I-I still consider myself Arvis's wife. I know that I'll see him again, even if I don't know how yet."

Even if I don't know if that next meeting will end well or not.

 

On Sigurd's advice (and further discussion with his mother), Lewyn made the decision to propose to Tailto and the two were soon wed shortly after Claud and Ferry.

Even if we were able to safely return to Grannvale, it was unlikely that Tailto and her sister would be able to return to Freege even if their father's involvement in Prince Kurth's death was proven. As the wife and sister-in-law of the Crown-Prince (even if he denied the throne), Tailto and Ethnia would be under Silesse's protection and untouchable by Grannvale.

Lex and Ayra had married shortly after our arrival in Silesse. He planned on returning to Isaach with her regardless of how things turned out. Tenuous relationship with his father or not, however, he still had mixed feelings on his death at Eldigan's hands.

Midayle and Misau were already expecting their first child (when had they gotten together?), as were Jamke and Sylvia (who'd married almost as soon as we landed), as it turned out.

Lachesis and Dew decided to make it official once they confirmed Lachesis was pregnant. Azel and Adean gave birth to their son Lester within a couple months of our arrival and Sigurd could tell Adean wanted to have another, particularly after she learned from Father Claud that her brother had likely been working with Langobalt and Reptor.

Arden, meanwhile, was quietly beginning to court Ethnia.

It seemed like nearly everyone was either getting married and/or having children.

The strangest thing, however, was how much everyone was dancing around this fact around us.

Sigurd remembered some awkwardness from the last time he'd gone through this. Everyone felt it inappropriate to talk about their happiness with their spouses while their leader's wife was still missing with no way of knowing what had happened to her. He'd understood that, and went out of his way to reassure everyone that he was happy for them. He was sure that he'd find Deirdre eventually, and that she'd be just as happy for them. That eased everyone's minds somewhat, and the atmosphere became more relaxed in that regard.

This time, however, his words failed to ease the awkwardness of the people around us.

"It's a little hard to be reassured when we already know your husband AND Deirdre are in the enemy's hands." Beowolf told us one day as he trained with Sesanva. "Sure, it sounds like your husband is still ill and won't be shacking up with Deirdre any time soon, but eventually we're going to have to make our move."

"I suppose you're right." Sigurd admitted. "...By the way, when did you two get so close?"  
"I asked him for training in swordsmanship." Sesanva explained as she began to put the practice swords away. "Tiarca's been teasing me about not knowing how to handle a sword very well."  
"And that's all it is, by the way." Beowolf gave us a dry look. "I keep telling her to bring that lady friend of hers around so people don't get the wrong idea."  
"Nera doesn't want to." Sesanva stuck her tongue out at Beowolf playfully. "I've told her about you. She probably thinks you'll try to steal her away from me."

Nera... Sigurd could have sworn that he had known someone by that name before, but he couldn't place a face to it. Come to think of it, the name sounded familiar to me, too.

Before Sigurd could continue thinking about the subject, Ferry arrived with Claud to chat with Sesanva while Beowolf went inside to help with lunch. Turns out that when you're a mercenary, you often to have to take care of your meals yourself. Who knew?

 

A few weeks after that, Sigurd was changing Celice when Oifey suddenly asked her a question.

"Ma'am, what do you think we will do if we cannot return to Grannvale?"

Sigurd paused for a second, then finished with Celice before asking Oifey what he meant.

"I know you intend to return home eventually, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to clear our names." Oifey had his hands clasped in his lap, and he was staring down at them. "Having faith is good, but shouldn't we be considering all of our options?"

Oifey was a teenager. Cynicism and moodiness were to be expected. But as the army tactician, Oifey also had to consider that the lives of our comrades were in his hands. He had to constantly think about what our next move should be.

"Will we just stay here in Silesse?" Oifey asked. "Surely Grannvale will eventually come for us?"

The boy really was bright. He was an excellent tactician, but Sigurd couldn't help but regret agreeing to his request that he accompany them the day they set out for Verdane.

"I have no desire to drag the people of Silesse into our business." He replied softly. "If Grannvale comes for us, we'll leave."

"And where will we go from there?" Oifey protested. "Leonster? That will surely be the first place they'll look if we leave Silesse!"

"You could come to Isaach." Ayra's voice came from the doorway.

Sigurd turned to see Ayra and Lex at the entrance to the room, Ayra's hand in a knocking gesture.

From behind Lex, Shanan pushed his way through into the room.

"You, and Oifey and Celice could come live with us!" He said loudly.

Ayra pulled him back slightly and held a finger to her lips, reminding him to keep his indoor voice. Sigurd nodded in gratitude. Celice had just woken up from her nap, so there was no risk of waking her up, but she was an easily startled baby. Oifey stood from his chair and offered it to Ayra, who was starting to show.

"What do you mean, "we could go to Isaach"?" Oifey asked. "The war is still technically going on. I doubt the people of Isaach would welcome us, particularly if they find out that we're related to Duke Vylon, who is also wanted as a traitor."  
"Well, it's a good thing you'd have two members of Isaachian royalty vouching for you, wouldn't it?" Ayra rolled her eyes. "I'd also like to remind you that my husband and the father of my child is also Grannvalean, and I'm still taking him back home with me even if the people don't like him."

Of course, Ayra was strong enough that even if the people of Isaach objected to her choice in spouse, no one would dare try going after Lex. But the same didn't necessarily apply to us.

"Meanwhile, you're the woman who rescued the Crown-Prince when the people we'd sought asylum from betrayed us, her literal infant daughter and the tactician who helped her rescue the Crown-Prince." Ayra continued.

...Okay, that was a fair point.

"But what about the others?" Sigurd raised another valuable point. 

"They're welcome to come along if they choose, but I suspect that most of them will either be heading to their homelands or staying in Silesse." Ayra crossed her arms. "Briggid and Holyn, I think, will be coming to Isaach as well. We extended an invitation to Azel and Adean, but I think they're both hesitating."  
"So... why invite me? If I were to leave Silesse without returning to Chalphy, wouldn't it make more sense for me to go to Leonster, where my sister and her family live?"

After all, Cuan and Ethlyn had been discussing the possibility of returning to Leonster to rally their forces to our side. Though Sigurd had tried to dissuade them from doing so, they both kept coming back to the idea and grew increasingly fond of it.

"Because you don't want to get Leonster involved in Grannvale's troubles when they've already got Thracia to deal with." Ayra gave a small smirk. " _Slightly_ more noble than simply not wanting to mooch off of your in-laws, like Lachesis."  
"And here I thought she just didn't want to deal with her in-laws." Lex snickered.

"But it's not like you'd be mooching off of us if you came with us to Isaach." Ayra's smirk faded and her tone became serious again. "We'd help you get settled and look out for you until you got back on your feet."  
"And it's not like you've gotta give your answer right away." Lex added. "I suspect we're going to be here awhile."

He had no idea.

 

Eventually, six months passed since our arrival in Silesse, and soon the day came for Cuan and Ethlyn to return to Leonster along with Finn.

If they were successful, they would soon make their way back to Silesse or to Belhalla, depending on where the tide of battle took us.

Unfortunately, Sigurd knew that he could not allow such a thing to pass. If they tried to return to help, they would meet their ends in the Yied Desert.

"We'll be off within the hour, Lady Sister." Ethlyn said when we entered her and Cuan's room. "I promise you, we'll be able to rally at least some of Leonster's forces into siding with us."

For a moment, Sigurd considered telling her the truth.

But would that truly change anything? Telling the truth might convince them to stay, but it wouldn't keep them out of danger; they'd simply become targets for Grannvale rather than Thracia. And even if they still returned to Leonster, they'd doubtlessly attempt to bring troops.

Though neither of us wanted the only option we could come to in order to keep them away, it was necessary.

"I have a letter I want to give you."  
"A letter?"  
"Correct. It's in this scroll." Sigurd held up the parchment in question. "It's a special message. I don't want you to open it until the baby's born."

He'd considered starting an argument with Cuan and Ethlyn the night before; blaming them for Eldigan's death no matter how absurd that was. But if the stress ended up taking a toll on Ethlyn and Cuan's unborn child (or, gods forbid, Ethlyn herself)... well, it would help sever ties with them, but neither Sigurd nor myself would be able to bear it.

Or perhaps we were both afraid of seeing the hurt looks on their faces. Neither of us could really say for sure.

Sigurd grinned at her.

"Got it?"

Ethlyn gave a small chuckle and hugged us.

"Got it."

Sigurd squeezed her as tight as it was safe to. It would, after all, be the last time.

 

Two weeks after Cuan and Ethlyn left, a messenger from Silesia arrived at Sailane, requesting mine and Azel's presence.

"Maybe it's related to Lord Brother?" Azel said hopefully. "Perhaps he's been rescued!"

It was a nice thought, certainly, but Sigurd and I both had doubts. Nevertheless, we accompanied the Pegasus Knights sent to take us there and were escorted into the castle.

Queen Rahna greeted us politely.

"This lady has demanded that she speak with you." She explained. "She claims to be the former General of Velthomer's Rotten Ritter."  
"General Aida's here!?" Azel gasped.  
"Yes, and you would do well to learn to keep your voice down when discussing vital intel, Sir Azel." The woman waiting in the study announced loudly.

We entered the room and saw a haggard-looking Aida sitting on a chair.

"It's good to see you again, Lady Sigrid." Though her words were formal, there was something of a casual tone in her voice. "I trust you've been well?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this chapter took a long time to come out. Sorry for the wait to all who were looking forward to it. I had trouble trying to find a way to end the chapter. The next chapter is going to be another interlude.


End file.
